1. Parish East:  The level 3 deck should be placed tomorrow at 2 a.m., with level 4 scheduled for October 10, and level 5 scheduled for October 25. As soon as level 3 deck is stressed, it allows the shoring to be removed on level 1, which allows some exterior work to begin. Initial interior work will focus on finalizing the Austin Energy vault and all mechanical shafts. By the third week of October, some interior walls will begin to be framed. Parish façade (exterior skin) work will also begin next week in the Parish Hall area, with the installation of headers for the west and south walls.

2. Parish West/Tower: Level 5, placement 1 on schedule for pouring this Friday. Shear wall on this level also expected to be placed Friday. In the gym area, they are working on forming the transfer girders that will span the gym. 

3. Mock-up: Metal panels have started being placed. Windows should be placed by October 19.

4. Utilities: Austin Energy will work on the alley duct bank shortly. Work is finishing up on the temporary water line to the Hillel Center. Work will also begin on installation of the storm line in the alley. AT&T is scheduled to pull their overhead lines, but they have missed previous scheduled dates.

1. Parish East: Level 3 decking is being installed. We're receiving delivery of rebar for the beams. Deck for level 3 will be poured September 28, next Wednesday.  Level 4 should be placed on October 11. Work to enclose the lobby wall and ceiling has begun and the Tyvek over the roof is being removed. This progress should reduce noise levels creeping into the church from construction. The banners inviting Austin to watch us grow are up along the east fences that form the barricade at the intersection of 21st and Guadalupe Streets.

2. Parish West/Tower: Level 4 pour 1, was placed last week as pour 2 is in progress now. The first shear wall on level 4 should be poured tomorrow, as the work of shoring shifts to level 5. Transfer girders (over the gym) should be placed second week of October. Placement of the shear wall on the gym side is expected next week. Additionally, Fire Distribution temporary service is being installed into the lower levels. 

3. Mock-up: Metal panels will be going up shortly, as should the windows (end of September), with the Porcelanosa installed by end of October.

4. Utility work: There was a small delay to progress on 21st Street. The subcontractor didn't secure a permit for night work, but that's been corrected. The work also involves installing the temporary service to the Hillel Center.

1. Parish East: Level 2, Deck 2 was poured. Level 3 deck should be poured on September 23, with level 4 following on October 6, level 5 following on October 21 and the roof deck scheduled for November 7. There are no other changes to dates reported last week with respect to interior framing, stair placement, and exterior façade work.

2. Parish West/Tower: Work will begin soon on work to install the large transfer beams that will support the ceiling of the gym. The track on level 3 (over the gym) has been poured. 

3. Mock-up: Most exterior finishes are due for arrival and install soon. The exception is the Porcelanosa which has been delayed. Hensel Phelps is trying to expedite delivery of the mock-up material.

4. Utility work: By the end of this week, most of the fire lines and water lines will be stubbed out to the mains.

1. Parish East: The Level 2, deck 2 pour is scheduled for September 16, with the Level 3 deck scheduled for September 27, Level 4 scheduled for October 10, Level 5 for October 24, and the roof scheduled for November 8. Interior framing work on Level 1 begins in mid-October, with stair placement still scheduled for November. Exterior work begins in early October with the east and west elevations of the Parish Hall space.

2. Parish West/Tower: Level 3, deck 2 placed yesterday. Parish portion of parish west decks will be completed by November 7. Exterior walls on parish west north elevation (the 21st Street side) will begin in early December. Concrete blocks (CMUs) will begin to be placed in the parking garage in mid-October.

3. Mock-up: Brick being installed now, with the EIFS panels following shortly after, along with metal panels. Windows are scheduled to be installed September 19. 

1. Parish East:  At the northwest corner, slab on grade 3 should be poured on September 2. Level 2, slab 1 has been poured and waiting for placement of slab 2 scheduled for September 9, which can't occur until slab on grade 3 is poured. While our "top out" is expected on November 1, we'll need good weather to pour concrete. The north part of exterior work will start by end of September. Interior framing work on level 1 should begin in mid-October. In November stair placement will begin.

2. Parish West/Tower: Level 3, our music rooms and elevated track are currently being framed out. The level 3 deck is expected to be poured on September 6. Final placement of level 3 slabs is set for September 7, with level 4 slabs complete by September 19. At that point work will shift to placing the large transfer beams over the gym space.

3. Mock-up: Brick installation begins today, to be followed by EIFS panels, then metal panels, then the Porcelanosa. By the end of September, the Mock Up will look complete.

4. Utilities: Utility work is ramping up for both 21^st Street and the alley. A day crew will be working on 21^st, with a night crew doing work in the alley. Work includes placing new storm lines, water lines, and fire mains. The alley duct bank (electrical) work is also proceeding.

A Traffic Note:
Thank you for your patience along the way! At this writing 21st Street is closed between San Antonio and Guadalupe for the utility work described in Item 4 above. Over the coming weeks we can expect other disruptions and changes in the traffic patterns around us. The safest and surest course for you to go between our Ministry Center/Parking Garage and our Church is to walk along W. MLK to Guadalupe. Every day brings us closer to the end of our pilgrimage and the completion of our bold building for the future. Again, we thank you. 

Be strong and take heart...

Psalm 31:25

1. Parish East: Last week was disappointing for slab placements due to delays in rebar delivery.  Slab on Grade 2 will be poured on August 24, with Slab on Grade 3 scheduled to be poured on August 30.  Deck 1 on Level 2 will be placed on August 24 with deck 2 to be placed on September 9.  The level 3 deck is expected to be placed on September 20, with level 4 following on October 3, level 5 on October 17, and the top deck (level 6) on November 1! After that, we'll see exterior work begin with scaffolding appearing in mid-October and brick and stone exteriors installed by early November. Interior rough-in work should also begin in early October. 

2. Parish West/Tower: There were also delays last week on Parish West/Tower deck placements due to both rebar and weather. All Parish West decks (levels 1-6) will be placed by October 31. 

3. Mock-up: Should generally be complete by the end of September.

4. The Austin Energy Duct Bank Alley Work (Underground Utilities) has been approved. Permits are in hand and work will begin soon.

1. Mock-up - Installation of the brick and other exterior finishes (EIFS) scheduled for next week.

2. Parish East - Framing for Level 2, slab 1 (ceiling of parish hall) is in progress. The Level 2 slab should  be poured on August 22. Slab on grade 2 pouring scheduled for 8/17 delayed as the rebar wasn't delivered on time. As a result, that slab should be poured on August 19 (3 days late).  Slab on grade 3 has also been delayed due to longer time needed for underground work - it should be poured on August 25. 

3. Parish West/Tower - Slab on grade 6 (Gym floor slab) was poured yesterday, August 15! Level 3 slab should be poured on August 19 (a delay of 2 days). This is the area closest to the Otis hotel. Hensel Phelps requested additional labor from the subcontractor to better support the schedule. Framing work across the Paseo progresses. 

1. Parish East – Slab on Grade 1 pour was completed on August 8. Easy to now “see” the outline of our new courtyard. Slab on Grade 2 (classrooms and lobby spaces) is scheduled for August 17, with slab on grade 3 (Austin Energy Vault and Fire Pump Room) scheduled for August 19. Still potential that slabs 2 and 3 can be accomplished in one pour. The ceiling of the parish hall/floor of the art space/maker space is scheduled to be poured August 17. The classrooms/kitchen/rest of first floor ceiling/floor of level 2 will be poured on August 31. There has been zero schedule slippage on Parish East in the last 30 days. Hensel Phelps is looking to “pick up” days as soon as the final grade level slabs are poured.

2. Tower/Parish West – Level 2 decks 1 and 2 now placed.  Level 3 deck scheduled for August 17.  Slab in Gym area scheduled to be poured this Friday.

3. Mock-up – work will begin on exterior envelope no later than August 15. 

4. Alley Utilities – work is starting on water lines with storm lines to follow.

1. Parish East

   1. In preparation for for slab on grade 1 (Parish Hall), which should be poured next Monday August 8, the vapor barrier was laid and reinforcements placed. 

   2. Working toward the pouring of Slab on Grade 2 (classrooms/lobbies) scheduled for August 16, plumbing work nears completion and grade beams are almost complete.

   3. Slab on Grade 3 pour remains set for August 17 - we're very close to completion of all major underground work.

   4. Level 2 Deck 1 (Parish Hall) – Framing will start on August 9, with pour scheduled for August 17. Level 2 Deck 2 (SOG2) pour is expected by August 29.

   5. Level 3 Deck pour scheduled for September 8, with Level 4 scheduled for September 21.

   6. The top (Level 6 Deck) is expected to be poured by mid-October.

2. Tower/Parish West

   1. Level 2 deck is tentatively scheduled for placement August 3.

   2. The Paseo was poured recently and framing for level 3 structure above the paseo has begun.

   3. The Gym area should be poured August 8. 

   4. The Locker Room area prep work is in progress now for slab prep work.

1. Parish East - Slab on grade beams for slab on grade 1 mostly complete, great progress being made in anticipation of slab pour 1. Slab on grade 2 is on track for August 16. Slab on grade 2 looks good for August 17. Superstructure work is visible - the column forms are easy to see. 

2. Tower/Parish West – Work nears completion on slab pours while work begins on forming the columns for superstructure work. All slab pours are expected to be complete by August 3.  

3. City of Austin Right of Way permit delays are affecting the utility work in the alley.

• F2 off-site utility work is going to start on Monday, July 25 (beginning in alley). Hensel Phelps will be sending us a schedule of road closures on San Antonio and 21^st St. that are needed as a result of this work.

• Grade beams will be placed on the south side of Parish East on July 22.

• The courtyard sump was placed this week.

• Slab on Grade pours are still on schedule for Parish East - slightly ahead of schedule right now):

  • SOG 1: 8/3 – 8/9

  • SOG 2: 8/10 – 8/16

  • SOG 3: 8/18 – 8/23

• Start going vertical with structure on 8/10

1. The construction work schedule will now start at 6 a.m. to avoid the extreme afternoon temperatures. Hensel Phelp’s safety protocol includes regular meetings on heat safety and reminders to watch out for fellow workers and the signs of heat stress.

2. Parish East: All piers are done (four days ahead of schedule).
Pouring the Slab on Grade for the first floor is scheduled for the 

South portion - August 3 - 9
Northeast corner - August 10 - 16
Final portion - August 12 - 17

This schedule is about a week longer than planned. However, this is not expected to delay the building topping out, which is currently expected to occur five days ahead of schedule.

Work on the Austin Energy vault is set for July 15 - 29, with work on the main Parish Electrical Room July 21 - 25.

3. Tower/Parish West: Two slab on grades are expected to be poured this week (smaller spaces) with the larger pours expected to start on July 15 and July 21.

1. Parish East – The underground plumbing work under the parish hall is being completed. This area is the  the first zone of the slab. Once the plumbing is complete, installation of the grade beam will begin. The first slab on grade will be complete by July 27. The second slab will likely be poured around August 1. The elevator pit should be finished by July 20. The third (and final) slab should be finished by end of the first week of August. 

2. Parish East – Work on underground feeds to Austin Energy Vault will begin towards the end of July.

3. Parish West/Tower – on the north side final grade beams are being placed. There are five different sections of slab on the grade being poured for the Parish West/Tower side. Work there is moving quickly to place all slabs by the end of July. 

4. Work on the mockup awaits delivery of metal panels expected in early August, with windows and Porcelanosa due in mid-September. Installation of these materials is scheduled for the end of September/early October.

1. Parish East – Pier work ongoing. Elevator pit construction is ongoing.  Slab on grades will be complete by end of August.

2. Parish West – Grade beams are being worked on the north side as is plumbing work on the north side (locker rooms). Column work is still ongoing and the slab for electrical/generator room was poured on Monday, the 27th.

1. Aerial Walkway – Comments are due from the City of Austin by June 29, 2022 on the completeness check.

2. Parish East – Site fill work was completed last weekend. Rebar arrived for first phase of piers. The drilling rig for pier work is now onsite - we heard that work in progress during morning Masses. Elevator pit piers are the first in order after which work will shift to south end of site to work on piers and grade beams. First slab on grade is now scheduled for week of July 19. Progress on the south wing (Parish Hall, Art/Maker Space, 3^rd floor playground) will be quick according to revisions to the construction schedule.

3. Parish West – Initial slab pour is expected late this week in the Tower Electrical room.  MEP (mechanical, electric, plumbing) underground work is mostly complete on Parish West.

1. Expect the aerial walkway permit to be issued sometime between December 2022 and February 2023.

2. Our second crane is up! Installation of the Parish East crane was completed last weekend. 

3. Completion of the plumbing rough-in was  concluded on Parish West next to The Otis. 

4. The piers on the northeast corner of Parish West are being drilled.

5. Parish East – Despite lines of trucks along San Antonio Street, the soil fill is going slowly and behind schedule. The south side of the site should be complete by Saturday, June 18, which will allow pier drilling to begin on the south side. All piers will be done by July 6.

6. Parish West – targeting slab on grade 1st pour is scheduled for completion by June 21 with the fifth and final pour complete by July 27.

7. Parish East – targeting slab on grade pour is scheduled for July 11. 

1. Aerial walkway - a permit is in official review with the City of Austin. The Temporary Certificate of Occupancy is not tied to this walkway needing to be complete to open Parish East. 

2. The grease trap vault was set this week.

3. The tower crane is on schedule to be erected this weekend at Parish East.

4. The Retention system is ~90% complete and on-going.

1. Utility work in the alley continues with temporary power coming soon - a step that eliminates need for a generator.

2. Parish East – We should see the completion of the soil haul-off and - in great progress news - pier drilling should begin east of the alley on June 7. 

3. Parish East – Slabs are on schedule for completion in mid-July.

1. Construction has begun on the Parish East crane. It should be complete this weekend.

2. Filling of Parish West (bringing it back to ground level) is about 60 - 70% complete. The existing dirt ramp will be removed at end of this week to allow remainder of fill to be placed.

3. This week piers for the grease trap vault were drilled as slab work for the grease trap begins.

4. Work to close in the basement wall progresses. When complete, it will greatly reduce noise in the sanctuary.

5. Work to bring temporary power to Parish East is underway.

6. Work on the mock-up (behind K-Bop) is in process. First inspections for waterproofing are expected before the windows are in place. The lead time for window and brick delivery is eight weeks. Delivery of other exterior materials are not an issue.

7. Installation of the alley water line is expected in about three weeks.

Please pray for the safety
of all involved in work on this project
and in thanksgiving for the creativity and vision 
that has brought us to this point on our journey
and will carry us to its successful completion.  

1. Sky bridge permit was submitted to the City of Austin for a completeness check.

2. The switch gear for the Austin Energy vault was released.

3. Join us in prayer for a resolution and for the success of either Plan A or HP's contingency plan to secure sufficient trucks to haul soil off-site. This activity continues all week and until all soil has been transported.

4.  AT & T continues to pull wire on our site.

5. More prayers, please as we expect the first delivery of rebar for the piers next week.

6. Erection of the parish crane remains on schedule for May 21.

1. AT&T and Hensel Phelps are coordinating as much as possible now that AT&T is present on-site to pull wire. Pray for the success of that coordination and collaboration. 

2. After inital challenges to schedule trucks, the excavation and haul off of old soil is now under way. 

3. Soil retention work continues on site.

4. Our second, the Parish, crane should go up on May 21.

5. Work on the mock-up work continues though final completion may be delayed due to difficulties acquiring some of the exterior materials. Please pray for the supply chain, it's a world-wide problem.

6. Pier work to begin after the now available trucks haul away all that soil.

1. Haul off of the first 4 ft. of soils is on-going and will continue throughout the week.

2. Parish East – temporary roofing is complete and it was reported that there were no water leaks during the storms over the last two days.

3. Austin Energy is on site and has started removing street lights in the alley and around the site.

4. Mock-up work has started.

5. Rebar has been ordered for some of the piers that will be installed first.

1. Work on the Parish West elevator cores is on hold waiting for rebar to be finished. Delivery of that material is expected this week. 

2. Parish East excavation and soil retention work will be ongoing this week and next week.

3. Also at Parish East temporary roofing is being installed on the lobby to prevent any further water intrusion.

4. Temporary power was installed and approved by the Austin Energy.

5. Street lights in the alley will be coming down soon.

6. Excavation haul-off starts next Monday.

7. Mock-up work is proceeding.

8. Parish East Crane expected to be erected on weekend of May 7.

1. No issues are expected as the aerial walkway permit process is on target for a completeness check submission on April 15. 

2. More water penetrated the men’s restroom in the lobby. Roofing work is set for next week.

3. Parish West - Slow rebar deliveries have created slight delays in the work on the tower. 

4. Parish East - Soil retention and excavation begin Thursday. 

5. Mock up of foundation is in process.

6. Parish East crane delivery now pushed to May 7^th.

Daily Mass will continue to be held in Antioch until further notice. 

1. We'll submit the sky bridge permit application in next couple of weeks. Approvals could take 6 - 8 months.

2. Delivery of materials to construct the mock-up are scheduled to begin arriving this week in the parking area behind our Guadalupe store fronts.

3. Gym floor salvage is adequate and sufficient to allow for re-use on the learning steps. Material will be delivered to subcontractor for continued work.

4. Rectory demolition should be complete by Friday. The remaining materials will be hauled away soon. Demolition of the Rectory basement is ongoing at this writing. 

5. Parish West activities include pier drilling in northwest corner of site.

6. Crane erection for Parish East is May 7, a delay on the timeline resulting from Rectory demolition complications.

7. Excavation to start next Monday, April 11, will be followed immediately by soil retention work.

8. Parish West fill begins mid-April and continues into early May.

1. Rectory demolition will be fully completed by 4/1. This means the tower crane installation for Parish East is now scheduled for 4/30. This delay in the schedule will not affect building turnover date of 6/1/2023 which is still on schedule.

2. Not unexpectedly, there was some minor damage to the roof and ceilings in the new lobby space, which are being repaired by Hensel Phelps.

3. Hensel Phelps is actively working on getting the plumber back on site to complete work at the sanctuary to get water back to the level two sinks and bathrooms.

4. Borings to inform the pier design for Parish East are planned to be completed by the mid next week (will likely be a noisy activity). Given the proximity of this noisy activity, it may be worthwhile to continue to have daily mass at MLK through completion of that work.

5. Austin Energy's temporary power work for Parish East is nearly complete.

Late Breaking News!
Daily Mass will be celebrated in Antioch in the
Ministry Center until further notice. 

1. Rectory demolition complete April. The tower crane for Parish East is now set for installation on April 30. This delaywill not affect scheduled building turnover date of June 1, 2023. We're still on schedule.

2. Not unexpectedly, the roof and ceilings in the new lobby space suffered some damage during the demolition which Hensel Phelps is repairing. 

3. Hensel Phelps is actively working to get the plumber back on site to restore water back to the level 2 sinks and bathrooms.

4. Borings to inform the pier design for Parish East should be complete next week. This is a very noisy activity. Recommendation: continue to have daily Mass at the Ministry Center until that work is done. 

5. Austin Energy temporary power work for Parish East is nearly complete.

1. Another huge milestone is in our rearview mirror! We received the building permit for Parish East. We can begin to build in service to our mission.  

2. The terrible storms that wreaked havoc across Central Texas on Monday (March 21) slowed transport of the heavy equipment needed for the Rectory demolition. The consequence of that delay is that we'll celebrate daily Mass and this Friday's Stations of the Cross in the Ministry Center where we'll remain through sometime next week. The silver lining - our virtual audience notes they've felt closer than ever to their in-person companions after seeing their faces more clearly in the smaller space. Masses on Saturday & Sunday will be in the Church.

3. Fill material for Parish West may arrive as early as April 1, sooner than the previously estimated April 4 date. Join us for Stations of the Cross and the KC Fish Fry to see where we're at day's end. 

1. On the Aerial Walkway - our Site Development Permit (under the small project process) application is in the works. We'll be ready for a "completeness check" by April 1, 2022. No foolin'!

2. We've received the building permit for the Tower which includes our Parish West components, the gym, rectory, and other spaces. 

3. We've suspended our endeavors to salvage the rectory limestone - we couldn't recover sufficient material, and the process was overly time and labor intensive. We tried. 

4. Rectory demolition calendared for March 21-23 requires that there's no access to the Church during that time by anyone unless escorted by construction personnel. Daily Mass will be in Antioch.

5. Piers for several of the tower’s shear walls are set in place.

6. With tower crane footing in place, this weekend will see the crane assembled.

7. The convoy returns! A parade of trucks will fill the West Side on March 31st.

1. Still no heat in the Church, please dress in layers for comfort. 

2. Parish West - The drilling for tower cranes piers began, with shear wall pier drilling starting tomorrow.

3. Parish East – Salvage of the rectory stone started, and they're beginning to pull the parish east foundations.

4. Parish West - Completed soil retention wall along the alley. No problems were expected from the small amount of groundwater observed.

5. Parish East – The rectory demolition target completion date is March 25. Sawing to separate structures begins next week, with major demo the week of March 21. Therefore, it is likely we will need to relocate daily Masses on March 21-23. 

From the parking garage - It is truly a fascinating thing to watch the heavy equipment at work- dump trucks arriving empty and departing full from around the site, lifts moving up and down salvaging stone from the rectory facade, excavators dropping huge blocks of old foundations onto other blocks to break them apart! Amazing!

1. Wonderful news! The second tranche (tranche? a portion of something, especially money) of parish financing closed this week! With today's favorable interest rates within parameters modeled, we're in good shape. 

2. Our Parish Site Development Permit (SDP) was approved on Thursday, March 3, 2022. This is a big milestone in the project and worth celebrating. The SDP allows a seamless transition into the next phase of construction work. The tower site already has its SDP. 

3. Tower crane license agreements are finalized. They allow construction of the two tower cranes. One crane will be on the east side of the alley, the other on the west side.

4. Salvaging limestone from the Rectory for re-use on the lobby exterior north wall is slated for March 7 - 18.

5. Excavation, of Newman Hall and Paulist Hall remains, continues through March 11.

6. Tower crane installation begins March 19.

7. Rectory demolition is scheduled for March 21-25.

8. Site Development Permitting for our aerial walkway begins on receipt of the main Parish SDP. It's expected to fall into the “small project” permit process, which may expedite processing.
    

   Thanks for Your Prayerful Support!

   Please don't stop praying.