There have been some interesting discussions here about static websites:

• Database driven web content: live or tape?
• Automating a Static Website

Two things that spring to mind while reading your post: The amout of time taken for your SQL is really scary. Perhaps a code/SQL review is in order? I'd seriously consider dumping this beast and moving over to a more mature publishing system.

Also, your comment concerning your fears of modifying static content seems to indicate that you aren't using a staging server for development. If that's the case, working with one should help you to sleep better at night.

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