EDGE Property Committee Update: January 24, 2025
Looking up at the cold steel, skeletal forms against a wintery January sky, may bring shivers to your bones if you are standing at the corner of Yonge and Tyler these days. But truly, this is a sight that should keep the fires burning in our hopes and wishes for a bright future at AUC.
Rising from the Ashes – one resolute step at a time.
Progress continues with the construction of the new church building and here are some updates the EDGE Property Committee is pleased to share:
- Weekly meetings of the construction teams started again the second week of January after a sabbatical through December
- The Dalton crew has almost finished the waterproofing of the roof, which is a priority
- Shortly the hydro should be changed over from temporary to permanent
- The ceiling of the sanctuary is another focus for the team and should be ready for approval soon
- Inspections and approvals continue: This month the fire spray has been inspected in all appropriate areas and all is well
The EDGE Property Committee continues the work of monitoring the progress of the construction project and the Board of Trustees of AUC continue to keep a close eye on the funds available and to balance the costs of the construction progressing.
EDGE Property Committee Update: September 15, 2024
Welcome back summer travellers and staycationers! As we gather together with fresh new energy and focus on the changing season ahead, the EDGE Property Committee has updates to share on the building project that has been going strong all through the summer months.
The shape of the new Aurora United Church is gradually emerging through the steel structure and concrete forms that have been erected this past summer and the presence of the church is again becoming a landmark at Yonge and Tyler.
Here are some of the updates we are excited about:
- The sanctuary roof has been poured and the balcony tiers are in place and the continued progress of the rebuild is seen weekly
- The EDGE Property Committee is working in good relationship with AMICA to establish the groundwork for shared spaces like driveways and parking
- The installation of the glass is another major step ahead and we are on track to meet a winter deadline
- Our construction teams have found significant savings in alternative material choices
- Additional savings are being considered with some minor design changes
The EDGE Property Committee continues the work of monitoring the progress of the construction project.
The Board of Trustees of AUC continue to keep a close eye on the funds available and to balance the costs of the construction progressing.
EDGE Property Committee Update: April 29, 2024
The steel is being erected on the church property. The steeple was placed on the North Tower today. Click HERE for pics!
EDGE Property Committee Update: April 14, 2024
The steel is being erected on the church property. Click HERE for details on the placement of the north tower steeple!
EDGE Property Committee Update: February 7, 2024
While winter is a time for sleep in nature, there is no sleep where our church construction is concerned.
Our construction teams have come a long way in securing tenders from the trades in preparation for each phase of construction, to ensure we meet our critical timelines. The Board of Trustees continue to keep a close eye on the funds available while releasing approvals as needed to keep things moving forward.
Here are some of the updates we are excited about:
- The two elevator/stairway shafts, one being at the northwest corner of our footprint, and the other being at the southeast corner which will be in the tower, rise to complete the concrete work of our construction contracts.
- The structural steel is the next big step forward and will commence early March. This is when the form of the church building will begin to be revealed.
- If we engage our imaginations, we may see – the bones of the building forming and witness firsthand – the Phoenix Rising!
The EDGE Property Committee (EPC) continues the work of monitoring the progress of the construction project. Recently, EPC has focused on the interior work for the identified priority areas of the church, and in doing so, assisting the efforts of the Fundraising Team.
EDGE Property Committee Update: November 25, 2023
Fall has provided some exciting steps forward as the EDGE Property Committee met with AUC’s new Project Manager, Scott McIvor, from the Dalton Company to review the construction plan for the Aurora United Church building.
Here are some of the updates we are excited about:
•The Dalton Company provided the EDGE committee with a Preliminary Construction Schedule that maps out the timelines of the project clearly identifying the milestones with dates.
• Construction scheduled to begin mid-October 2023 with the completion of the exterior slated for September 2024 at which time the interior work will
commence.
• Substantial Performance, which by definition means the building is ready for its intended use, is slated for May 2025.
• Dalton has created spacious meeting rooms and work spaces in the basement of the church for their ongoing work.
• Currently the form work is being constructed for the two stair towers. As the Amica building has been surging ahead in the past months, soon the AUC building will take the dominant role as the building rises up to meet the sky.
EDGE and our construction teams continue to search for savings in time and cost. Through value engineering, by identifying our priorities and deferring some building features to a later date, substantial savings have already been discovered.
EDGE Property Committee Update: October 15, 2023
The EDGE Property Committee is pleased to say that Stage 1, the substructure of the building, is close to completion bringing our focus to the next stage – building the above-ground structure from the Yonge Street level and up!
Here are some of the updates we are excited about:
• The Dalton Company has been hired to provide Construction Management Services
• Dalton has been diligently working on the preconstruction planning to provide “Value Engineering, Design Assist, and Cost Estimation services to ensure an optimized building design commensurate with the Church’s program, operations and budget”
EDGE looks forward to sharing more exciting progress reports in the months to come. Our de- sign and construction teams have been tasked with finding savings in time and cost to move this project along to the completion of a beautiful church facility that meets our needs and future dreams.
EDGE Property Committee Update: January 10, 2023
Perimeter walls have been poured up to L0 level across the east and south part of the site. Most columns are poured and stripped in east half of site. The columns in west half are formed up. The AUC elevator/stair shaft formed up to L0 in the NW corner.
EDGE Property Committee Update: October 17, 2022
A mud slab has been poured throughout the site. All excavated material has been removed from site. Raft Slab rebar placement continues across the northern middle portion of the site and a tower crane has been erected on the site.The truck ramp to Temperance Street has been removed and an access stairway has now been erected in the SW corner of the site.
EDGE Property Committee Update: March 1, 2022
Drilling rigs continue to shore the land. The work continues to move down in preparation for the base. A commemorative historic plaque has been completed. The plaque will be mounted at the entrance of our new church building.
EDGE Property Committee Update: August 20, 2021
Hydro has arrived to relocate poles on Yonge street as required and should be completed over the next several weeks. Permission was received from our neighbour to the north to remove the existing brick wall as needed. The land has been prepared for the drilling rigs to start shortly where they will be drilling a series of 30" holes for shoring.EDGE Property Committee Update: August 6, 2021
The wall is down. Be sure to drive by the church property to see what is going on!
EDGE Property Committee Update: July 13, 2021
The Groundbreaking Service was held on the property on Tuesday July 13. You can watch the video on this page. We are thankful for those who joined us for the day as we move ahead in rebuilding our new church.
View photos from the Groundbreaking Service
EDGE Property Committee Update: July 8, 2021
The process of taking down the wall and removing the soil has begun. The Groundbreaking Service will happen on Tuesday July 13. Due to the number of people that are allowed on the property, the service will be recorded and uploaded to our YouTube site. Watch this space for details on how you can view the service.
EDGE Property Committee Update: June 10, 2021
United Church “ready to rebuild” after parkland break from Council - Brock Weir, The Auroran
It has been seven years of uncertainty for Aurora United Church since a fire devastated its venerable place of worship. Now, they’re almost ready to put shovels in the ground at their spiritual home at Yonge and Tyler Streets.
Sitting at the Committee level last week, Council waived $68,500-worth of cash-in-lieu-of-parkland fees being faced by Aurora United Church (AUC) ahead of the rebuild, a waiver which will remain in place until there is a change of use on the property.
EDGE Property Committee Update: March 1, 2021
The process of loading of the soil on the land is now complete. We now have to wait for about four to five months at which time the engineers will give us the go ahead to move forward with the excavation and building of our foundation. The retaining wall that you see on the property is only temporary and it will be removed prior to the excavation and building of the foundation.
EDGE Property Committee Update: January 27, 2021
As most of you are aware, there has been a lot of action on our site with the retaining walls and loading of the soil. This process is in order to equalize the pressure of the soil prior to excavation and we expect this to be completed sometime in February. We then have to wait for approximately four to five months at which time the engineers will give us the go ahead to move forward with the excavation and building of our foundation.
On another note, after careful consideration, we have made the decision to not go ahead with Geothermal. The preliminary investigations with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) have revealed very unexpected ground water conditions that would result in insurmountable extra costs and requirements that have made this an undesirable choice. In the best interests of our church, we are moving back to a more conventional style of heating/air conditioning.
We will keep you updated as things happen.
EDGE Property Committee Update: December 17, 2020
December has been a month of milestones for the Aurora United Church congregation and Succession Developments, our development partner.Early in December we received Site Plan Approval and the permit to load the land in preparation for the foundation. The land gets loaded up to have equal pressure across the property for approximately four months at which time we will be in good shape to start excavating for our foundation. It is our hope that this process will be completed by early January. Geothermal testing has yet to be completed and will have to wait until the land is loaded up.Also this week, we submitted for the building permit for both the church and retirement home. With this in place, hopefully we have enough time while the land is settling to have the permit in place by early spring.
EDGE Property Committee Update: October 5, 2020
Although not visible on the church site, progress continues with a lot of work being performed behind the scenes. The process of Site Plan Approval can be painstakingly slow but we are in the home stretch and are optimistic about the next step. Permits for various stages have been submitted and it is still the plan to be loading the lands shortly. Succession is as anxious as we are to see the start of actual work on the land.
With a few changes to the structure to meet Site Plan requests, we have needed to survey the locations of the geothermal test sites, and that too should be in progress shortly once we receive the site alteration permit.
As well, our architect continues to work with the various specialty consultants to finalize the structural, mechanical, electrical and other elements of the church building design.
Onsite, you will notice the continuing monitoring of the ground water which is a process required throughout the build.
Despite the recent delays, rest assured that the EDGE Committee continues to move ahead with the realization of our new church home.
EDGE Property Committee Update: July 9, 2020
EDGE Property Committee Update: June, 2020
Over the past months, the EDGE Property Committee have tirelessly worked to complete the agreements with both Amica and Succession Developments. After many strenuous hours we are happy to report that the documents with Amica, the reciprocal agreement and the 99 year lease agreement as well as the fixed price construction contract for below surface structure with Succession Developments were completed. We then presented these documents to both the Council and the Board of Trustees for their approval. On May 28th, these documents were finalized allowing us to apply for building permits and start building on the property.
In addition, the EDGE Property Committee researched the feasibility of including geothermal heating in our new building. After many presentations and consultanting with those in the field, we are now moving forward with the environmentally friendly option.
Over the next few months, you will now start to see action on our land. The geothermal testing and drilling should be completed by the end of June and the contractors will also be installing retaining walls and trucking in loads of soil to equalize the pressure on the property. It is our hope to apply for building permits in July and by fall of this year, start excavating the property and start the construction.
Although we still have plenty of work ahead of us, this is a major hurdle for all partners and exciting news for the congregation. We will continue to work on the church design and finishes at which time once completed, we can then enter in to a construction contract for the remaining structure above grade.
Thank you for your patience and we look forward to sharing more news as things progress.
Brian North
Chair, EDGE Property Committee Aurora United Church
EDGE Property Committee Update: October 2019
As we continue working to meet deadlines and goals, the Edge Property Committee is pleased to report that after countless hours, many meetings, and presentations by industry experts, it was decided that we are moving forward with a quiet, low-impact, geothermal system for our new Church building.
There are many benefits from geothermal including a more efficient use of interior space, savings on future operating costs and importantly, a geothermal system will significantly reduce yearly carbon emissions compared to traditional HVAC systems and that is a move forward that we can take pride in. After all we are planning for the next 100 years!
Test drilling will commence in the not too distant future to confirm the type of system required. Both Stages three and four Archaeological reports have been submitted to the government and we look forward to their acceptance of these reports. We are also continuing to meet with the lawyers from both Amica and Succession to complete final details on our lease with a meeting scheduled for December 16th to hopefully deal with any issues.
We look forward to sharing more updates as things progress.
EDGE Property Committee Update: September 15, 2019
The EDGE Property Committee has created a communication process to keep the congregation in the loop on developments and actions on an ongoing basis. Updates will appear on the website, as well as in the weekly bulletin. As always, please contact one of the EDGE Property Committee members with any questions or concerns − we’re happy to help!
1. PLANNING – Progress Report
Site Progress Stage Four Archaeological Excavation
• The Stage Four work has finally been completed by the methodical Archaeologists and the remains that were removed are being properly stored for an Internment currently being planned for a future date
• In total we have exhumed 186 remains. 86 were previously removed from the site in the 1800’s
Bell Canada
• Bell Canada has completed their work and the title has been signed back to the church. This is completely done.
2. Succession Development Corporation
• The EDGE Property Committee has been meeting with Succession and Amica regarding their building plans and how they will effectively integrate with AUC building plans
3. EDGE Property Committee at Work
• Our committee continues to meet monthly, bi-monthly or weekly as necessary
• We are currently working on an updated Budget and any design revisions necessary to meet our targets
• We have completed a comprehensive review of the Audio/Visual needs with several AV companies to develop plans in 3-tiers for the final choice
• Our architect Bob Murphy has retained his team of structural, mechanical, electrical and acoustical engineers plus an interior design consultant and their work progresses
• When these final drawings are completed another quantity survey will provide detailed estimated costs which Succession (the Construction Company chosen for our church build) will use to get trade quotations and a final cost will be presented to AUC in the form of a CCDC contract for review and approval
• We will be charting our next steps along with projected timelines
EDGE Committee members: Brian North (chair), Holly Todd Williamson (secretary), John Clement, Doug Gilpin, Crawford Heritage, Pat Innes, Scott Sinclair, Dave Snelgrove, Rev. Andy Comar, Rev. Lorraine Newton-Comar.
Respectfully submitted by Brian North (Chair of EDGE Property Committee)
Missed these Town of Aurora meetings? Click on the links below to view them. New links will be added as they are made public.
Town of Aurora Public Planning Meeting, March 22, 2017
Town of Aurora Council Meeting, May 9, 2017 (Decision on AUC Houses)
Town of Aurora Public Planning Meeting, May 24, 2017
Town of Aurora General Committee Meeting, July 4, 2017
Town of Aurora Council Meeting, July 11, 2017 (Approval of development project)
Town of Aurora General Committee Meeting, June 19, 2018
Plans for new Aurora United Church set to take a step forward (The Auroran, June 28, 2018)
