The Church Renovation Committee was formed in January 2008 and includes John Chiasson, George Cornwell, Nelson Durden, Bill Hudgins, Bettyrene Pope, Jim Shoemaker, Donna-Mae Siderius, Jim Tormey, and co-chairs Ron and Carrie Quinn. Two years of planning and projects have focused on restoration and maintenance of the church exterior to make it weather-tight and even more beautiful for the 400th Anniversary.
Tasks included slate roofing repairs and re-roofing of the three vestibules; restoration of the stained glass windows and installation of new vented, laminated security/storm panels; painting of all exterior woodwork (doors, windows, trim); and masonry repairs. An architectural survey of the building has been performed with the net result of as-built floor plans and a preliminary code analysis to help in future planning. There are still a few outstanding items on the exterior to be performed (additional masonry repairs, some new lighting, railing repairs, etc.) this year.
While we celebrate our anniversary, we need to start the planning process for the interior renovation work currently slated to begin in 2011. From April 2009 to January 2010, the Committee solicited commentary from “stakeholders” of the church. In other words, we first asked those who prepare and participate (altar guild, choir, ushers, flower deliverers, lay readers, clergy, etc.) in the worship services to provide feedback on improvements they would like to see within the church building itself. The feedback was obtained through a list of questions formulated by the Committee. Committee members then provided commentary based on this feedback and their own observations over the last two years of committee work.
The collected comments mainly focus on the need for accessible, functional spaces with updated technology while keeping the historic character and aesthetics of the church intact.
Originally published in St. John’s Epistle, May 2010.