Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church (BMPC) is a large and growing congregation with more than 2,000 members. BMPC was organized in 1873 by just 13 women and three men on the Main Line, just west of Philadelphia. This historic campus is comprised of a sanctuary, chapel, ministries center, education building and other facilities. With the growth of their intergenerational community, several renovation projects were identified and planned over a three to five-year period.

BMPC engaged Watchdog to manage two of these renovation projects. Once onboard, Watchdog’s role expanded to encompass the review of all immediate and future projects. After the team studied the timing of the capital campaign fundraising, they determined it would be best to prioritize planned projects and maintenance items that were previously deferred. This led to the creation of an Overall Campus Master Plan initiative to develop a comprehensive and long-term plan of action. Subsequently, Watchdog developed a budget and phased approach to complete the desired improvements while keeping the church operational.

Watchdog reported project status updates to the BMPC renovation committee consisting of volunteers from the church congregation and senior pastors. The team aided the committee by providing detailed budget tracking that allowed the members to better understand the costs and funding shortfalls. Working with the BMPC committee, general contractor, and designers, Watchdog priced and presented different designs to maximize available funds.

Phase I focused on renovating the education building. Watchdog served as the Owner’s Representative for this time-sensitive phase since it required students to be relocated while the education building was under construction. The target schedule put completion before fall classes began so students would return to the updated space. Watchdog closely monitored the construction process to keep the weekday school, Sunday school classes, and other campus programs operational with minimal disruptions.

Phase II included extensive renovations to multiple areas within the ministries center. The remodeled congregation hall, activities building, gym, and converse house have energy-efficient LED lighting, updated windows, upgraded acoustic systems. Reconfiguring the activities building and gym layout resulted in the additional room for meetings, presentations, and activities. Other phased work includes an expanded memorial garden and a new Welcome Center.

One example of project adjustments resulting from team collaboration led by Watchdog is the new atrium linking the sanctuary and ministry center. It was presented as an alternative to adding a cost-prohibitive second story on the existing community space known as ‘The Court.’ The atrium solution resulted in an optimized design flow, and it cost less to construct, bringing savings to BMPC.