Author: Admin

We are preparing to finalize our grading pad. Our next step is to layout the gym so we can cut it down another 2.5 inches. They gym floor will be made up of layers. The concrete slab in the gym needs to be 2.5 inches lower than the rest of the building. Next week we will have a man that will be coming In from Lancaster to help us. He will also help us do all the fine grading and complete the work so we can call for the necessary inspections.

We Signed on our fire sprinkler contractor, Crown Fire Co. They will be starting their drawings so they can be submitted to LBWD and the city. The owner, Bill Cain, has given us the opportunity to save $28 an hour per volunteer that we can provide him to help him do the work! This also serves as a reminder that we must be diligent in doing all that we can to support the building project individually. This will save us thousands of dollars on labor costs. The material for all of the fire sprinklers is scheduled to be donated by Rob Yardley. This is estimated at a $50,000 savings.

We received the plan check review comments from the City Mechanical Engineer. So far we have received comments from building, plumbing, mechanical and public works.  We still are awaiting for the plan check comments from planning and electrical. We are coordinating with the structural engineer, the metal building manufacturer, and our architects to make the required changes. Praise the Lord that the comments have been very fair and reasonable. Our advisors were surprised that we did not receive more comments on a project of this size and complexity.

God has worked in the area of developer’s fees. All commercial buildings like ours are subject to pay developer’s fees, one of which is the Long Beach Unified School Districts’ $3.18 a square foot. On our building, this would amount to $150,000. Praise the Lord that on Friday we found out that we are exempt of these fees! $150,000 that can be used to further our building project!

Our Permits

• We received the plan check review comments from the building department, plumbing, and fire department.  We are now working on addressing the comments. We are a BIG step closer to receiving our permits!
• We are still awaiting the review comments from several other departments.

Our Jobsite

• Praise the Lord for Total Equipment. They brought over a 2,000 gallon water truck that would normally cost $225 a day.  They are letting us use it indefinitely for FREE!  This water truck will help us to keep the dust down and to stay in compliance with the city’s ordinances.

Our Steel Frame

• We are also contacting manufacturers of steel studs. Clark Western has agreed to give their supplier special project pricing for our church. This will enable the supplier to give us an even deeper discount on the material. This savings on the studs alone can help us to save more than $20,000!

Our Construction Fastener Manufacturer

• We also met with Powers, a construction fastener manufacturer.  They design and sell construction fasteners.  They have agreed to supply all the tools required for FREE! And to discount all fasteners for this project.
• This will also save us thousands of dollars.

• We had a great week on the construction site this week!
• We had our soils engineer come out and perform 2 tests this week.
  • One was a percolation test, which was to help determine the volume of water that our ground can absorb.
  • The other was our compaction test. The testing went very well; there are 2 soft spots that we needed to re-dig and air out. This is due all of the rain water that had puddled and gathered.
• We also received the city plan check comments back from the plumbing department.
  • We are one step closer to getting our plumbing permit.
  • The plumbing engineer is addressing these comments and will be resubmitting shortly.
• We are coordinating with Southern California Edison and LBWD on where they will bring in their utilities. Please pray as they are assessing their fees at this point and plotting where they will tie in our utilities.
• The CLAIM team, which will be led by Dr. Paul Week, has put together a detailed plan to come out and help us to get all of the underground and footings done—this joint effort will save us over $100,000 on this task alone.
• Please pray that the lord will continue to bring dedicated men to Long Beach to help us build our building!

• We are diligently planning and seeking God in the area of our construction projects.
• We are meeting with contractors, vendors, skilled volunteer leaders, various counselors and are assembling teams and groups to start construction.
• Please pray for these efforts. The claim team is also working on contacting and coordinating with their vast list of skilled volunteers that have a heart to further the Lord’s kingdom.
• We are finding success in working with contractors that are willing to utilize the great men of PBC as volunteers to help save us money. Some contractors are also willing to allow the church to purchase and provide materials—which will save us tens of thousands of dollars.
• Please continue to pray as we will revive the review comment back from the city building department next week.
• We are also working on hiring on the elevator contractor and fire sprinkler contractor.
• We will be finalizing our pad and work on getting it signed off within the next couple weeks.