St Katharine Drexel
In 2004, the growth of St. Michael’s Catholic Church on Sioux Falls’ west side provided the impetus for the formation of a new Catholic parish. Originally intended to house 1,600 families, St. Michael’s was now serving over 1900 families. The need for a second west side Catholic Church was evident and construction began on a new church in late 2006. Fortunately for several young boys and girls, an incredibly generous single donation paid for the construction of an educational center that provides Kindergarten through 2nd grade schooling as well as religious education. St. Katharine Drexel’s Father Joe explains, “Through the generosity of an anonymous family donor, a $1.2 million donation was given to build the Education Center.”
St. Katharine’s is equipped with a chilled water and boiler system. The sanctuary utilizes two outdoor air handling units that heat and cool the worship space. When the worship hall is unoccupied, a single unit runs. With a minimal load in the space, this helps control the humidity level. If the humidity exceeds the user set point, the DCC control system triggers a dehumidification mode. St. Katharine is also equipped with IAQ sensors that control outdoor air ventilation in the worship area to match people loads. A separate AHU with VAV’s are used to serve the education center.
By July 2009, St. Katharine’s congregation had already grown to around 700 families. The parish is relatively young, as witnessed by the sixty baptisms and only one funeral from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. Climate Systems, Inc. took great pride in being a small part of an incredible group that helped make St. Katharine’s a reality. We know it will be a great home for all the parishioners for many years to come.