A large renovation has been taking place at Centenary United Methodist Church. This project’s focus was the rehabilitation of a large portion of the Sunday School building that houses the children’s and youth ministries.

The church was originally constructed in 1930 with a significant addition in 1960. Lots of exterior work took place as well but the interior renovations were extensive and included over 37,000 sf of the approx. 100,000 sf building. All 3 floors of the 1960 addition were completely renovated.

The entire 4th floor of the 1930’s original building was fully reconfigured and renovated. You can view the full article here.

June 10, 2021 The new $5.6 million Clemmons library opened last week, and it offers plenty of space for patrons to enjoy. This is a large contrast to the old library that was ‘cramped, outdated, and located in a high-traffic area on Clemmons road.” 

The opening of this new library comes 11 years after voters in Forsyth County approved a $40 million bond that paid for the library in addition to two others in Kernersville and Winston-Salem. The other two opened in the past few years. 

Other than more square footage than the previous library, this includes a new space for teenagers, an expanded children’s area with a reading/story time room, additional meeting rooms, and an auditorium. 

You can view the full article from The Winston-Salem Journal by Lisa O’Donnell here.

Last week, the Community Foundation relocated to its new office headquarters for the third time since opening its doors. Most recently, the Community Foundation relocated to a new suite of offices on the second floor of the new Congdon Yards on W. English Road. The Congdon family has been a faithful advocate of the Foundation, so joining in the new venture was an easy decision. The new offices were funded by the Foundation family, rather than using resources that could have gone to grants to pay for the new space. “I wanted to say that this move, this new era for the Foundation, was supported and underwritten by our entire Foundation family.” 

Another key aspect to this move has been the design and upfit of the office and the acquisition of new furniture which has been completely handled by three foundation trustees. The design and layout have been expertly overseen by John Kennett of Freeman Kennett Architects. The purchase of office furniture and donated Davis furniture has been handled by Ashley Williams, who is a second-generation trustee following her father, Danny Davis. Finally, the office construction has been supervised by Stephanie Young of I.L. Long Construction. These three remarkable trustees of the Foundation have been a tremendously talented and committed team who have brought expertise, experience and commitment to the project.

More from this High Point Enterprise Article can be found here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This month, the Community Foundation completed its third move as they relocated to a new suite of offices on the 2^nd Floor of the newly renovated Factory and Plant 7 buildings, Congdon Yards. These buildings were spearheaded by Business High Point- Chamber of Commerce and built for the people of High Point.

“The Earl and Kitty Congdon Foundation and the Congdon family have displayed their bold vision and underscored their steadfast commitment to our community by creating a dynamic venue that will propel High Point into a new era.” The Congdon family has been one of the Foundation’s faithful advocates, friends and donors over the years so joining in this new venture was an easy decision to make for the Foundation’s leadership. 

Read more from this article from the High Point Community Foundation website here.

 

The annual NC State Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Career Fair took place yesterday and I. L. Long had the opportunity to participate. We spent the day meeting with undergraduate and graduate students, talking about careers in engineering and construction management. We were privileged to meet Dr. Morton Barlaz. He is the Head of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at NC State University.

The Wake Forest Women’s Basketball team officially moved into their new space in mid-January of this year, and they are already “reaping the benefits.” The scene at the new Budd gym engaged all senses. There were sounds of balls bouncing and swishing through the net. But you couldn’t help taking in the smell as well. With a fresh coat of paint and sparkling banners hanging, the renovated practice gymnasium had a ‘new house’ odor. “We love it,” sophomore forward Christina Morra said. “It’s like a new, fresh start for us. It’s a new beginning for our team, in some respects.” 

As the Shah Basketball Complex opened in September, Budd Gym was closed for upgrades. The women’s team moved back into the practice space in mid-January. The Shah Basketball complex was a $12 million project that developed more than 24,000 square feet in practice space for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs. The renovated Budd Gym is designated primarily for the women’s team, however. “This building is phenomenal,” Wake Forest women’s basketball coach Jen Hoover said. “The gym being open gives our players access 24/7. They had that before but would have to make sure what time the men’s team was practicing and would have to work around that. 

“Now we both have our own gym, and they can be in here any time they want. It’s not going to be used for anything but us. The access it provides. It’s beautiful and huge. It makes a statement about how important basketball is and the commitment level here. The whole building itself is incredible. We’ve been in there since July and then in here since early this month. “In the revamped practice space, there are new lockers for each player, where they can store anything needed for individual or teamwork. There’s also a film area, an observation deck and banners hanging for each player on the current roster. “It’s a program changer,” Hoover said about the new facilities. “The whole building is making an impact in recruiting. It gives us the ‘wow’ factor.” 

You can find more of this story from Les Johns here.

Today, a ribbon-Cutting ceremony for the brand new Sutton Sports Performance Center and Shah Basketball Complex marked a new beginning for athletics at Wake Forest. Generous support for many years from both Ben Sutton and Mit Shah has made it possible to offer these exceptional resources to the student-athletes, coaches and staff.

The new facilities are centrally located within more than 100,000 square feet of buildings with 725 tins of steel and 5,000 cubic yards of concrete. This four-level Sutton performance center is connected to the McCreary Football Field house making it easier for athletes to transition from the field to weight rooms or meetings. 

In addition to strength and conditioning facilities dedicated for football and men’s and women’s basketball, there is a strength and training area shared by men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, track & field, men’s and women’s golf, field hockey and volleyball.

The new Shah Basketball Complex connects with the Sutton Center, adding another 24,000 square feet of facilities for athletes. It includes a regulation court with seven goals dedicated to the men’s team, and a new gym for the women’s team. Both teams no longer have to drive to the Lawrence Joel Veterans Coliseum for practice; everything is now at their fingertips. Within the complex is also 6,000 square feet dedicated to strength and conditioning for both teams and easy access to sports medicine and the cryotherapy chamber. 

The Christan McCreary Nutrition Center helps to fuel student-athletes around the clock. “With student-athlete schedules, it can be difficult to refuel properly,” said Director of Sports Nutrition Kate Ruley.

“Before the nutrition area opened, our athletes would have to go to other dining areas on campus. Many wouldn’t have had time to do that before class. Now they can refuel where they train with foods to help their brains and bodies recover. Already, I’m hearing feedback that our athletes are more alert and better able to focus on their academics as a result of the convenient options for quick nutrition.”

In addition to meeting nutritional needs, athletes from all sports socialize, study and relax in the Nutrition Center. Special features include a smoothie bar, gluten-free area and soft seating.

Read more from this Wake Forest News article by Kim McGrath, Steve Shutt & Jay Garneau here.

The facility is named for prominent local physician and philanthropist Dr. Harold Pollard. He was an instrumental leader in the tennis community, volunteered many hours to tennis events in the city, and helped to facilitate the Winston-Salem Open being a successful and enjoyable event.    

The $3 million-plus Harold Pollard Center – an air-conditioned hospitality facility with places to relax with food, drink and three tiers of outdoor seating along Court No. 2. 

Mike Odom, an associate athletic director at Wake Forest, said the Pollard Center also was planned to be used as a hospitality venue for football games. The tennis center is next door to BB&T Field. The tournament had a temporary VIP facility in past years. 

More from this Triad Business Journal piece can be found here.

Forsyth County is about to begin construction on another new library in one of the fastest growing places, Clemmons, NC.  The population of Clemmons is now more than 20,000 people and business is booming along the main corridor. Many say the current library, which has served this community since 1984, needs many changes to accommodate the rapid growth. Residents and local leaders say it’s too cramped and parking and traffic needs aren’t being met. 

Deputy County Manager Damon Sanders-Pratt says the new library will be more than double in size.

“The current facility has five public computers, the new one will have up to 31 public computers,” says Sanders-Pratt. “There will be a distinct teen space, which doesn’t exist at the current facility. There will be a truly separate and distinct children’s area, so it will be significantly bigger at 20,000 square feet.”

The full article from WFDD’s Keri Brown can be found here. 

With sincere gratitude, Forsyth Technical Community College would like to thank Mr. Edwin. L. Welch, Jr. president of I.L. Long Construction, for 14 years of combined service to the Foundation Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees.

Mr. Welch first joined the Foundation Board in 2003 for a three-year term. In 2004, he was the chair of the Resource Development Committee. In 2005, Mr. Welch was co-chair of Forsyth Tech’s first capital campaign, the Momentum campaign and helped raise over $13 million for the college. That year, he also joined the Board of Trustees. In 2006, he served the Foundation Board for another three year term. After his Foundation Board term was completed, Mr. Welch became the Board of Trustees representative on the Foundation Board in the 2009-2010 term. He was also instrumental in launching the Early College at Forsyth Tech. Mr. Welch served as vice chair of the Board of Trustees from August 2007- August 2012, and from August 2012 – August 2015, he served as chair of the Board of Trustees. Most recently he served as co-chair of the Pathways to Possibilities Capital Campaign which began in 2015.

“Mr. Welch has a remarkable history of selfless and tireless service to many organizations in our community,” said Alan Proctor, chair of the Board of Trustees. “Forsyth Tech has also been blessed by his vision and phenomenal leadership.  From the Capital Campaigns to the Board of Trustees, Ed Welch has made a lasting positive difference in our campus, staff, faculty and most importantly our students.” 

More from Forsyth Tech Magazine can be found here.