Have you ever had a favorite chair, one that was comfortable and fit so well for so long, but then your back began to hurt, and your doctor suggested that you needed a new chair because the old familiar one is no longer meeting your need for firmness and support. This is the principle that has happened at Southside. Our buildings are comfortable and familiar, but they are no longer meeting our needs.
Huntsville is one of the most technological-savvy cities in America and yet Southside’s buildings are old, dated and tired and do not meet the needs of a 21st century congregation. Other churches in Huntsville offer beautiful, welcoming, modern buildings and cutting-edge technology. Southside needs a facelift. Restrooms need to be updated and the sanctuary needs to be renovated, including new sound, lighting, pews, and windows. The balcony needs to be updated to allow more comfortable seating.
The Old Education Building is just that, old. The dropped ceiling and lighting need to be updated, restrooms modernized, floors re-tiled, and sheetrock and windows replaced. Our church offices also need attention; it has been suggested that building a new office complex which houses all church staff would be ideal.
Renovation is expensive, but the choice is clear: maintain the status quo of the old, familiar, and comfortable, or update and upgrade in order to keep pressing forward in the 21st century.

The old saying is that you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Southside is located on one of the busiest streets in Huntsville with 16,000 cars passing daily. Thanks to Daryl and his crew at Alabama Lawn Masters, Southside makes a wonderful first impression to the thousands of people who pass our campus every day. Alabama Lawn Masters has been our landscaper for 8 years, and we have received a Beautification Award 7 of those years, including this year's award.

What about first impressions and visitors? Before visitors are greeted, hear a sermon or sing a song, they see our facilities. Each member of Southside should be interested in our church making a good first impression. Picking up trash, offering a friendly smile and a warm handshake, holding a door open for a mom with her hands full, giving up your regular seat so a family can sit together, seeing a need and taking care of it are ways that you can help Southside make a good first impression.

The light bulb as we know it may go the way of the dinosaur. Congress has passed a law establishing a minimum level of efficiency for all incandescent bulbs by the year 2012. If manufacturers cannot produce an incandescent bulb that is more efficient, they will have to cease production.



In commercial settings like Southside fluorescent lighting is the norm. There are two problems with fluorescent lighting. One problem is that they contain mercury and the other problem is heat. While fluorescent bulbs do not produce as much heat as incandescent bulbs, the heat loss does reduce their efficiency.



The new technology for task lighting is LED. LED has been around since the 70's but white LED is a new technology with promising benefits. An LED bulb can last up to 50,000 hours with no heat loss. Presently the downside of using LED lighting is the cost. The technology is expensive but the cost may be offset by lower maintenance cost and energy savings.



Energy costs continue to increase and Southside is always looking at innovative ways to reduce energy costs.

Let's talk energy costs. The last three-month average for Southside utilities was $9,240.00. Energy costs are rising; here's what we can do to conserve energy and cut costs:

• Turn off lights in rooms that are not being used. If you will be out of a room or office for an extended period of time, turn off the lights as you leave.
• Set the thermostats in the campus houses 2 degrees cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer. (68 degrees in winter and 72 degrees in summer)

Energy conservation and cutting costs is a mark of good stewardship.
Do your part!

Church vans

The church owns two 15-passenger vans for use by the church family. We refer to the vans by color. Due to its age the gray van is for local use only. The white van is used for out of town trips. In the past few years, studies have been done regarding the safety of 15-passenger vans. Southside has followed the recommendations of the National Transportation Board and our insurance company to ensure that our vans are as safe as possible. The number of passengers is limited to 10. The rear seat has been removed and stabilizer bars have been installed on the white van. The maximum speed limit of the church vans is 60 mph. Van safety is a top priority; the vans are serviced regularly by a certified mechanic.

The van reservation calendar is maintained in the Facility Manager's office. Van request forms are available in the church office and the Facility Manager's office. The completed form is returned to the Facility Manager; if there is no conflict with scheduling on the church calendar, the request is approved. In the near future, you will be able to reserve the van online through our web page.

The chruch vans are a blessing to the ministries of Southside, and groups are encouraged to take advantage of their availablility. A list of certified drivers is maintained by the Facility Manager.

March 2008

How do you get a church related event on the calendar? Event forms are available in the church office and the facility manager's office. The completed form is to be returned to the office or to the facility manager. If the proposed date is availabe and there are no conflicts on the church calendar, the ministerial staff reviews the event request to ensure that it is within the guidelines of church policy. If the request is approved, it is added to the church calendar.

A women's Self Defense class is in the planning stage and will probably be scheduled for a date in May.

For you information, Southside has an automated external defibrillator (AED): several staff members are trained in the use of this device. (Sammy Brooks, Larry Forester, Lisa Lowell, Bryan Martin and Meg Sanders.)

Just Getting Started

Southside is designing a new web page, including the blog "Facility Matters". This blog will have information about the Facilities. I will share about work that is ongoing and opportunites for volunteering. It's a fact that facility matters! Check it out.