The Hindu Temple and Cultural Society of Central Illinois (HTCSCI)

An Illinois Not-for-Profit Corporation

Dear Devotees:

Namaste. The purpose of this e-mail is to inform you the about the status of the construction of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center in Champaign, Illinois, and seek your participation in determining what type of facility we should build this year. On behalf of the HTCSCI Board of Trustees (BOT), I request your kind attention to this e-mail and would appreciate your response by 15 June, 2011.

To facilitate your objective response and generous support for this project, I will briefly summarize salient points of two options that have made through a rigorous consideration by the BOT, the costs associated with the construction, startup, operation, and maintenance of the facility, and potential income that the temple and cultural center as well as the priest would generate.

Facility Options and Associated Construction Costs. The BOT considered more than half a dozen options, and agreed that two of those are potentially viable after taking into account consideration the available funds and the size of the community the temple and cultural center is intended to serve. Both options involve a two-phase construction of the facility. Phase 1 consists of a 5,000-square-foot (SF) facility that will include a community/prayer hall (2,500 SF), and a stage for deities (500 SF), and support facilities (2,000 SF) that include a kitchen, an eat-in area, a library/conference room, rest rooms, and others. Phase 1 may simply be described as a multifunctional transitional facility; when we generate more funds, as Phase 2 of the project, we can expand the facility horizontally or vertically (second floor) to have a permanent, dedicated temple structure (for example, the one that includes gopurams, etc.)

Until Phase 2 is completed, community/prayer hall, which is estimated to accommodate about 250 people, will serve dual purposes; for non-religious events, the deity area will be closed off with a temporary partition such as what we typically see in large conference rooms in hotels.

Option 1, Phase 1 that allows horizontal expansion is estimated to cost about$625,000. However, the cost would increase by $200,000, if we were to build the facility with same functionalitybut the one that can support second floor (Option 2, Phase 1). The increase in cost is associated with primarily the reinforced cement concrete (RCC) roof needed for a two-story structure. In summary, Phase 1 for a one-story structure is estimatedto cost about$625,000 (Option1) whereas Phase 1 for a two-story structure is estimated to cost about $825,000 (Option 2).

Startup Costs. These areassociated with the inaugural function, uthsava murthis and deities, pooja supplies, furniture for community hall (chairs and tables), and facility operation and maintenance (O&M) for the first 6 months. These costs are estimated to be about $120,000.

Available Funds. Wecurrently have about $300,000 in cash and about$300,000 of loan that also includes money for specific purpose such as building a two-story structure, promised by the community, and which needs to be paid back to the community in 5 years at an annual interest of 2 percent. We also have about $200,000 pledges (donation) from the community. If we assume that 60% of the pledges will be realized by the time the facility will be open, the startup costs could be covered through the pledges realized. Then, in essence, we should have a total of $600,000 that could be used toward the facility construction costs.

OM Costs. These are associated with utilities, lawn care, snow removal, telephone, internet, security system, insurance, and priest salary plus benefits. Based on discussions with nearby temples, the O&M costs are estimated to be about $6,000per month.

Community Loan Payment Costs. If we borrow $300,000 from the community at an annual interest of 2 percent with a 5-year term, we need to raise about $5,500 per month to pay off the loan.

Estimated Income. Communication with nearby temples indicates that the temple and cultural center activities, the kitchen, and the priest services for the community, we might be able to generate an average income of about $5,000 per month. (In order to offset the OM costs and community loan payment costs, we need to generate an additional $6,500 per month.)

Please note thatthe estimates included in this communication could vary by 10 percent. As you can see, from the numbers presented above the more we borrow, the greater is the financial risk. Hence, we need to focus on community donations, not loans.

I request you to consider all information presented above, and let me knowby 15 June whether you would prefer Option 1 or Option 2and how much money you are willing to give in order to begin construction this year. I recognize that some of us have pledged or donated funds with specific expectations; however, I urge that this is the time for us to come together and support the project, even if it means that we may not get exactly what we want.

We can sign the construction contract only when we know how much money we have on hand; hence, your timely response and financial support are extremely critical in determining the scope and direction of this project. Your contributions will determine what we can build.

May God bless you!

Looking forward to your response,

Shiv Kapoor

Temple website:

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