MB Real Estate has been engaged as Atonement’s Project Manager. This firm will provide an experienced construction and project management professional to serve as our agent on the day-to-day details of the building project. The Project Manager will be our liaison with the architect, the general contractor and other third parties involved in the project. The Project Manager’s role will be key to assuring us that the project is completed with quality workmanship and on time and on budget.   

An Atonement Construction Committee has been formed who are meeting frequently to steer the direction of our building project. This committee will work closely with our professional project manager to assess project progress and advise on any construction or commercial issues that may arise. The members of our construction Committee are Tom Clarkson, Steve Gallo, Paul Hein, Tim Herrmann, John Schehl and Mary Taylor.  

A Finance Committee has also been created to formulate and analyze financing options as needed. This committee will carefully review alternatives and present its recommendations to the church council and congregation. The members of this committee are Steve Hovde, Nancy Hurst, Eric Lorenz, Lisa Ludwig, Jim Murphy and Michael Renetzky. 

And speaking of finance…the Troubled Assets Relief Program signed into law this month includes a two year extension of the IRA Rollover provision. This provision allows seniors (over 70 ½ years old) to distribute assets from an IRA account exempt from taxable income in order to make a gift to a charitable organization. The distribution used to make the gift can be counted toward any Required Minimum Distribution from the IRA. The IRA Rollover provision is retroactive to Jan 1, 2008 and applies to gifts made from that date to Dec 31, 2009. Please consider taking advantage of this extension if it applies to you.