Kolonia Meetinghouse History, 1987–1990

By Jess Bacera

The old building was demolished because of termite infestation and damage to the walls of the building. In July of 1987 the members were assigned to demolish the interior of the building. The ceiling was also removed. Materials that were salvageable were sold.

The new building project was open for bid on August 8, 1987. By August 27th it was submitted to church headquarters for approval. We received a disapproval in November of 1987. An 87.07 per square foot cost and high site development cost were the grounds for the disapproval. Plans were revised to lower the cost. Instead of a 6,300-square-foot, two-story building, it was revised to a 4,100-square-foot single story with the hope of lowering costs. Bidding was again set on April 14, 1988. Out of three contractors invited to bid, only one came and the bid was not much lower than the previous one. The plan was again reviewed and trimmed down to lower the costs. We negotiated with various contractors and we finally received a satisfactory quote in October of 1988. We were able to reduce the costs by one-third. The budget was submitted and it was approved by mid November 1988.

At that time, the contractor started to completely demolish the old building. Instead of the church paying for the demolition, the contractor paid the church for the existing materials on an “as is” basis.

The project started December 5, 1988, and was scheduled to be completed November 14, 1989. Due to heavy rains, big boulders and some change orders, the contractor requested an extension of time and the new completion date was set for February 3, 1990.

Brother Bacera relates that when he first came and saw the proposed site for the chapel that he was not impressed. He wondered why that site had been chosen. Since that time, he has seen the road paved out to the new FSM capital and all the development that is going on out in that area. There is also a beautiful view from the chapel site. He testifies the Lord knew where the chapel should be.