A Team Player’s Report from the Building and Grounds Committee
by Congregational Administrator Griselda Lapasia
From the parking lot and patio to the sidewalks and hardwood floors, the Building and Grounds Committee has for years been busy caring for Main Line Unitarian Church (MLUC) inside and out. Then, sometime in 2024, our Board President Barbara Colton, who also chaired the committee, presented us with a vision: the women’s restroom needed an uplift. The goal was to create a fresh, welcoming, and accessible space for members and visitors.
And so began what we thought would be a straightforward renovation. As anyone who has ever renovated anything knows, “straightforward renovation” may be one of the mostly wildly optimistic phrases in the English language.
Our original team of six— Barbara, Ron D’Annunzio, Bonnie Marzolf, Carolyn Jaeger, Rev. John Morehouse, and me—got to work. Architectural drawings were reviewed, contractors were contacted, structural changes were discussed, and many meetings, phone calls, and store visits followed. We considered enough tile samples to renovate several small villages.
While plans for the women’s restroom continued to simmer, we also began discussing improvements to the McGinness Room, kitchen, and men’s restroom. In the summer of 2025, I was heading to a store to look at—yes—more tiles, when I was asked, “Do you want me to join you?” I immediately said yes. That marked the arrival of our seventh team member, Rev. John’s wife Francis Morehouse—and, importantly, the driver of the project in more ways than one!
Soon, the renovation discussions reached well beyond MLUC. Children, grandchildren, and members of the extended Morehouse family—local, out of state, and international—were drawn into the process. I am fairly certain MLUC renovations became a regular topic around their family dinner tables. Some families discuss sports or the weather; with the Morehouse family matriarch helping to drive the project, their conversations naturally turned to lighting, flooring, and countertops.
The McGinness Room came first. Our goal was to transform it into a warm, welcome and versatile gathering space. New lighting proved surprisingly complicated because of the room’s structure, and the large, uneven wall presented another challenge. Eventually, the idea of bringing the outdoors inside led to the beautiful stone wall. The renewed room was completed in March 2026.
Next came the kitchen. We decluttered the space, replaced the worn flooring, refreshed the cabinets, improved the island with a new white countertop, and created a small café nook—proving that even a hardworking church kitchen can enjoy a makeover.
The men’s restroom followed, with new flooring, tile for improved cleanliness and maintenance, and updated counters and mirrors. It also gave us valuable experience for the project that had started it all.
Finally, in the summer of 2026, demolition began on the women’s restroom. Accessibility remained our highest priority, along with durability, appearance, signage, the church’s busy schedule, and minimizing inconvenience to members and visitors.
Although we can joke about endless tile samples and renovation surprises, the committee never lost sight of its responsibility to use the capital campaign funds entrusted to us with care. Every decision involved thoughtful consideration of cost, quality, durability, long-term value, and MLUC’s vision. Our goal was to choose improvements that would serve the congregation well for many years—not simply whatever looked best in the latest tile catalog.
After countless discussions, decisions, estimates, samples, and phone calls, the women’s restroom renovation is complete!
Thank you to our congregation for your generosity, patience, and trust—and to everyone who contributed time, talent, thoughtful judgment, and quite a few miles of driving.
Although this renovation journey may be ending, our shared commitment to making MLUC welcoming and accessible to all continues. Caring for our church is not the responsibility of one committee or a handful of people; the onus rests with all of us, and those small acts of care can make a lasting difference.