Repairs on historic Norwich church still under way
Inside the church, repairs are well under way. Shown in this picture is blocking that is being put between each rafter, to act as reinforcement and support within the structure. (Submitted photo)
NORWICH — Repair efforts on the nearly century and a half year old Broad Street United Methodist Church are still ongoing.
Constructed in 1875, the structure is known as the tallest building in Chenango County. In 2018, repair efforts began in earnest after damage to the roof was discovered.
"The minister called a number of us up on a weekend and said, there's water running down a wall. I went in on Monday and there are trash cans filled with water, so we began carrying them out. Then we began going upstairs to where the leaks are and said, my goodness. Are we open to the elements here? Well, pretty close," said Allan Strong, who has been overseeing the repair projects.
The major problems that were discovered included bowing rafters, splitting shingles, and bricks being expelled from the building.
"The rafters are bowing. The weight of the roof is pulling things down. And putting a roof on that, the shingles over time come down with that bowing and they begin to split and tear apart," said Strong. "The first time I went up with another person, we look around and the South steeple, on the Northeast corner inside, had a lot of cracks and bricks being pushed apart ... Water comes down, collects around the bricks, freezes, expands, freezes some more, until you've broken the bonds between bricks and mortar."
Strong said that he suspects the damage first began in the early 1930's, after a large windstorm. Unfortunately, the extent of the damage was unknown for so long due to the attic, steeple, and roof being difficult to access.
"Part of the reason for that, it was dark to go up there, limited and difficult access, and not very much safe space to walk or stand around. Therefore being so intimidating, it wasn't monitored as closely as it could've been," he explained.
Due to the danger and difficulty in accessing those areas, the massive repair project first focused on installing safety measures, such as scaffolding and catwalks, hand rails, and safety wires. The Methodist Church brought on Imhoff Company, a contractor based in Bingamton, and engineer Brian Biggs, based in Clifton Park, to handle the repairs.
"They've been very good to work with, they've tried to do things in such a way that we could afford them. They haven't cut corners, they've found other ways of doing things that did the same job without all the expense," said Strong. "The two of them working together have been very good."
While the projects are being completed and paid for in stages, they still don't come cheap. Strong said the overall total of all repairs to the church will total over $2 million.
"We have, on the steeple and the work that we did originally, right around $700,000. For the rest of the project, to complete it, was a total of about $1.872 million," he said.
Longtime member of the Methodist Church and Fundraiser Chairman Sharon Fleming said money is raised through grants, donations, endowments, and fundraisers. Currently, she said two fundraisers are in the works.
On Saturday, October 23, the Methodist Church will be holding Doug's Fish Fry from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the YMCA parking lot. Attendees can enjoy fish sandwiches, fried shrimp, scallops, and several side options. Pricing will be posted the day of, and masks are required at the event.
They will also be holding a fundraiser at Gilligan's in Sherburne, from 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday, November 8. A portion of sales will go to the Methodist Church to aid in their repair projects.
"We're trying to do something every month. We have to show that we're attempting to have fundraisers in order for the grants," said Fleming.
The church has also been a large part of the Norwich community for many years. Fleming said the church holds a nursery school, an after school program, rummage sales, AA meetings, blood drives, and more.
"In December, well up until COVID, the Sing Out and Celebrate was always held at our church," said Fleming. "It's where choirs in the area, not just Norwich but say Chenango County, would come in and our choir director would coordinate everything and put on an evening of Christmas music and everything. That was always a real big thing, but the whole community came into our church for that."
Strong and Fleming explained that abandoning the building altogether and allowing it to be demolished was not an option, as it would not be in the best interest of the community.
"When you look at the building itself and the materials in it, no one today can afford to replace that sort of a structure," said Strong. "What do you replace it with? With a storefront on either end of town, with a vacant store, one of the plazas? Well, that's not the same. What would happen to the building? It would be knocked down, it would be made into a parking lot or something. Is that the best thing for the community? No."
"You can't just desert a building like that," said Fleming, adding that the church has stayed strong and kept going despite the damage, and the difficulties brought on by the pandemic. "We're proud that we've accomplished so much through the last few years with all that goes on in our building for the community."
Constructed in 1875, the structure is known as the tallest building in Chenango County. In 2018, repair efforts began in earnest after damage to the roof was discovered.
"The minister called a number of us up on a weekend and said, there's water running down a wall. I went in on Monday and there are trash cans filled with water, so we began carrying them out. Then we began going upstairs to where the leaks are and said, my goodness. Are we open to the elements here? Well, pretty close," said Allan Strong, who has been overseeing the repair projects.
The major problems that were discovered included bowing rafters, splitting shingles, and bricks being expelled from the building.
"The rafters are bowing. The weight of the roof is pulling things down. And putting a roof on that, the shingles over time come down with that bowing and they begin to split and tear apart," said Strong. "The first time I went up with another person, we look around and the South steeple, on the Northeast corner inside, had a lot of cracks and bricks being pushed apart ... Water comes down, collects around the bricks, freezes, expands, freezes some more, until you've broken the bonds between bricks and mortar."
Strong said that he suspects the damage first began in the early 1930's, after a large windstorm. Unfortunately, the extent of the damage was unknown for so long due to the attic, steeple, and roof being difficult to access.
"Part of the reason for that, it was dark to go up there, limited and difficult access, and not very much safe space to walk or stand around. Therefore being so intimidating, it wasn't monitored as closely as it could've been," he explained.
Due to the danger and difficulty in accessing those areas, the massive repair project first focused on installing safety measures, such as scaffolding and catwalks, hand rails, and safety wires. The Methodist Church brought on Imhoff Company, a contractor based in Bingamton, and engineer Brian Biggs, based in Clifton Park, to handle the repairs.
"They've been very good to work with, they've tried to do things in such a way that we could afford them. They haven't cut corners, they've found other ways of doing things that did the same job without all the expense," said Strong. "The two of them working together have been very good."
While the projects are being completed and paid for in stages, they still don't come cheap. Strong said the overall total of all repairs to the church will total over $2 million.
"We have, on the steeple and the work that we did originally, right around $700,000. For the rest of the project, to complete it, was a total of about $1.872 million," he said.
Longtime member of the Methodist Church and Fundraiser Chairman Sharon Fleming said money is raised through grants, donations, endowments, and fundraisers. Currently, she said two fundraisers are in the works.
On Saturday, October 23, the Methodist Church will be holding Doug's Fish Fry from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the YMCA parking lot. Attendees can enjoy fish sandwiches, fried shrimp, scallops, and several side options. Pricing will be posted the day of, and masks are required at the event.
They will also be holding a fundraiser at Gilligan's in Sherburne, from 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday, November 8. A portion of sales will go to the Methodist Church to aid in their repair projects.
"We're trying to do something every month. We have to show that we're attempting to have fundraisers in order for the grants," said Fleming.
The church has also been a large part of the Norwich community for many years. Fleming said the church holds a nursery school, an after school program, rummage sales, AA meetings, blood drives, and more.
"In December, well up until COVID, the Sing Out and Celebrate was always held at our church," said Fleming. "It's where choirs in the area, not just Norwich but say Chenango County, would come in and our choir director would coordinate everything and put on an evening of Christmas music and everything. That was always a real big thing, but the whole community came into our church for that."
Strong and Fleming explained that abandoning the building altogether and allowing it to be demolished was not an option, as it would not be in the best interest of the community.
"When you look at the building itself and the materials in it, no one today can afford to replace that sort of a structure," said Strong. "What do you replace it with? With a storefront on either end of town, with a vacant store, one of the plazas? Well, that's not the same. What would happen to the building? It would be knocked down, it would be made into a parking lot or something. Is that the best thing for the community? No."
"You can't just desert a building like that," said Fleming, adding that the church has stayed strong and kept going despite the damage, and the difficulties brought on by the pandemic. "We're proud that we've accomplished so much through the last few years with all that goes on in our building for the community."
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