Office of Development and Properties at 601 S. Jefferson, Springfield, MO 65806 US - Other Information and Considerations
| Other Information and Considerations |
Except for the first three, the following items are not "cast in concrete." They may be used as guides during your planning process. Generally speaking, however, a parish would need to provide sound reasons for choosing a different course of action. 1. The diocese functions under Missouri state law as a corporation. Accordingly, contracts must be signed by an officer of the corporation (usually the Bishop) to be legally binding. 2. Missouri law requires that an architect and/or engineer, licensed in Missouri, design plans for buildings used by the public. Plans must be signed and dated. 3. Contracts with the architect and the contractors must be approved and handled through the diocese. The diocese has an addendum for both the AIA (architect's) and the contractor's contracts. Change orders must also be approved and signed by the Bishop. 4. National building codes, usually BOCA, are followed if no building regulations are in place locally. 5. Americans' with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations are generally followed. 6. The parish chooses its own architect. The diocese can provide you with names of architects that other parishes have used in the past. 7. One story buildings are preferable to multi-story buildings. 8. Once the construction starts, the parish should appoint one person willing to serve as the point of contact between contractor, architect, pastor, and diocese. This can be the pastor but it can also be someone familiar enough with construction and the project to know when he/she can make a decision and when the decision needs to be referred elsewhere. 9. The parish must have fifty percent of the estimated cost of the project on hand in cash and on deposit with the Diocese and an approved plan in place for repaying the loan. The diocese is the only source for a loan. 10. Parishioners who are contractors or in the building trades should meet the same qualification criteria as other contractors who would be invited to bid on the parish building project.