Dear Friends,

As many of you know, for the past 70+ years, our campus has been the shared home of our Church and our longtime neighbors, Preston Hollow Presbyterian School (PHPS) and Preschool (PHPPS). It has long been our common vision that children who learn differently are capable of unbounded academic achievement; indeed, thousands of PHPS “graduates” credit the school with giving them the foundation for lifelong success. Similarly, generations of children fondly recall their earliest learning experiences at PHPPS.

We are proud of what PHPC, PHPS and PHPPS have accomplished over the years. While the schools began as the Church’s flagship mission, since 1995 they have been a separate legal entity – and our current relationship operates more as landlord and tenant, with the Church providing a significant level of support for school operations.

Today both the congregation and school must grapple with a challenging situation. You undoubtedly know that the schools occupy most of the north end of our facility. What you may not know is that our campus mechanical systems are separated—the north system houses the school and Founders Hall, and the south system serves the main Church facilities, including the Sanctuary and Chapel, Jubilee Hall, Emmanuel Hall, the atrium, the parlor, and the church offices.

While we have known for some time that this aging equipment requires attention, a recent engineering report laid out stark facts that we as a Church family must face. The oldest parts of the north building

were initially thought to pose the most immediate threat, but we now face immediate issues on the south side of the campus as well.

Specifically, in one or both parts of the campus:  

• The HVAC units are at, or far beyond, their expected performance life and some are currently not working properly.
• The electrical equipment in the north end of the building is between 66-71 years old, and at risk of a sudden and catastrophic failure.
• The electrical equipment may not be able to support newer HVAC equipment when it is installed.
• Critical equipment failures in the north end occurred during the January freeze, and equipment in the south end also began failing over the past three months – exposing the previously unforeseen and urgent need for equipment repairs and replacement in the south system.
• Some replacement parts for the antiquated equipment are no longer available; others must be ordered and take an estimated 18-26 weeks to arrive.
• We have an initial cost estimate from the engineering company DC4, of more than $7.5 million to bring the north campus equipment up to date and an additional $7.5 million to ensure ongoing operation on the south side.
• The engineers have also shared that the buildings would not be available for use during the periods it takes to make the necessary upgrades and repairs.

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The questions on the table now for the Church and school leadership are:

• What contingency plans must be put in place to ensure that we have adequate space for worship and fellowship activities?
• What is the best option for the school since the equipment could fail at any time during the next school year?
• How can money be raised to pay for the upgrades?
• Will the school share in the costs of upgrading the north campus?

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Because of these concerns and equipment failures since the beginning of the year, discussions with the school on an occupancy extension have been paused. Our current agreement with the school effectively functions as a month-to-month tenancy, which provides maximum flexibility for all parties as we seek a solution.

We recognize that there are differing opinions on these issues. We pray that everyone involved can work together for the good of both our worship community and the students served by the schools.

The Session is committed to providing full transparency and open communications in the coming weeks concerning the condition of the building, financial options, our efforts to work with the school, and the work of the Strategic Projects Team. Please watch your weekly Thursday email newsletter for updates. In addition, a dedicated email address, feedback@phpc.org, has been established to gather your questions and comments as we move forward.

We covet your prayers and your support as we seek to continue leading with faith, hope and love.

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The Session

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Robey Canaday

Lee Coleman  

Anne Edwards

Dave Jones

Kris Kamm

Class of 2024  

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Dana Cagle

Paige Frenzel

Chuck Gall

Noelle Williams

Chris Wright

Class of 2025

Drew Dahlstrom

Jason Howard

Sue McCoy

David Scott

Anne Smith

Charlie Humphreys

Class of 2026

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