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My Friends,
Over the many years that my father worked here at St. Bart’s, he grew to love this church and the many people who worked and attended worship services here. While his job as Director of Facilities was very demanding and frustrating at times, he always held a deep admiration for the incredible good work that happens within this building every day. For that reason, upon his retirement, he attempted to convince me to replace him, trusting that I would care for his beloved building and the people that come here every day. To be truthful, I was resistant to the idea at first, having watched him work seemingly from sun up to sundown for 24 years. Taking on this challenge was not quite what I had imagined in my retirement from the police department. Upon accepting the position, I quickly came to realize why my father loved St. Bart’s so much. The generosity and kindness of the people who work and worship here have inspired me for nearly nine years as I have served you as Director of Facilities and Security at St. Bart’s.
Much has been accomplished over this time, especially with regard to our magnificent building. As most of you know, we have completed much-needed restoration of the iconic dome atop the sanctuary, completely restored the Community House, and recently completed the restoration of the north façade. We have begun some restoration efforts on the west façade, with more to come. We have replaced all the pitched tile roofing on the property and most of the flat liquid membrane roofing. We also implemented a building management system, negotiated and locked better energy pricing, and instituted a trap maintenance program to reduce energy costs to the operating budget dramatically. We made many repairs to our beloved organ and restored the celestial section of the organ during the dome restoration. We completely restored the chapel organ. All of this work was completed with what I hope was minimal interruption of the many programs that operate here each day, including the preschool, Inside Park, the athletic facilities, numerous high-profile events, the life-saving work of Crossroads, and the many educational and liturgical offerings of the church.
As I listed all of these accomplishments, I used the word “we,” but I can really only take the tiniest bit of that credit. I could not begin to list all of the incredibly dedicated and talented people that contributed to all of this work -- and if I tried, I would most likely forget someone and regret doing so. It takes a whole community of people to raise the money needed, manage that money, make decisions about how to prioritize our goals, and execute those priorities.
I want to take this opportunity to recognize one group of people, often overlooked but without whom none of this could happen. Of course, I am referring to our amazing facilities staff at St. Bart’s. They are the true heroes from my vantage point. They have uplifted me daily with their dedication and hard work. They are an incredibly lean staff of people that consistently give more with less. They are here working every day before anyone arrives and long after everyone leaves. When most people are home sleeping peacefully through a tough winter storm, they are shoveling and clearing our sidewalks and steps. When everyone worked from home as the COVID-19 pandemic raged through our city, they came in every day and kept the building and operations going. They are truly on the front lines keeping our community safe and keeping the buildings in clean and operable order. They work long hours and holidays to support the many programs that operate here. Most importantly, they do it with a smile and a sincere effort to be helpful and kind. The retention rate of this staff, especially at this time, is a testament to their love and dedication to this church. I will be forever in their debt.
While I have decided that this is the right time and opportunity to enter the next phase of my career, I do so with trepidation and a heavy heart. I am grateful for the opportunity that St. Bart’s has given me and for the trust you have put in me to serve this wonderful community. I am so thankful to all my colleagues and clergy that I have worked with through these years for their support and care. I am thankful to the parish for letting me share in their lives here and for their overwhelming generosity. As I look back over my years at St. Barts, I hope that I have lived up to my father’s trust in me and that he is proud of how I have cared for “his” building and the people we loved so dearly.
Sincerely,
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