Grafton church opts for safety over tradition
Photo by Cecilia Nasmith.
By Cecilia Nasmith
St. Andrew's United Church's 182nd anniversary service on Sept. 20 had a very special feature – a ribbon cutting for its newly renovated choir loft.
The Grafton church continues in its original 1844 building, but the choir loft that was added in the 1950s was not only problematic, Church Administrator Shasta Morey said in a recent interview. Consisting of several different levels, it posed mobility problems and even risks to some of the older choir members.
John “Ed” Mulvey also noted that the odd configuration left limited space to move around in when you toss in the organ pit on top of it all. And when she brought in musical guests, Morey added, it always seemed a little crowded.
“The way everything was configurated, it made it pretty difficult to know where exactly to put people, because there just wasn't any room up front.”
She finally took her concerns to the board of directors to propose a return to a simple one-level platform. She found that they got on board almost immediately.
A supportive team of volunteers came forward – including Morey, Mulvey, John Wilson and John Johnston (the group now known as the Fab Four), who gathered there recently to show off their work.
Now consisting of a single raised level, it's a smooth expanse that gives the appearance of being larger than before (though it's not). And the newly repainted yellow walls at the back add to the feeling of spaciousness.
“We knew we would be outdoors for services in the summertime, so I approached the board and took a guess as to how much it was going to cost,” Morey recalled.
The first outdoor service was June 30, which was their “go” signal to begin.
The work started with the demolition of the old loft. Even before approaching the board, Morey and team had made a hole in the top of a step for a look underneath and determined it would be “very workable” to reuse a lot of the materials. Once they got to work, they were able to drop existing materials right on top of the existing floor joists – one of which, they discovered when they got inside, was an old repurposed barn beam.
Costs were minimized with the labour generously provided by a number of volunteers, as well as the co-operation of B&B Electric for the wiring. They had to be called in at different stages, Mulvey explained, and they always came when called – meaning no delays for the project. As a result they now have more strategically placed outlets, including in the floor.
Another stroke of luck was a visit to the Home Depot for flooring. They found some they liked, enough of it in stock to prevent delay, and even available at a good price.
If a project can be cursed, Morey said, this one actually seemed blessed because of how well everything went.
Mulvey recalled the project was substantially done by the first week of August.
Morey had estimated a $5,000 budget, and it came in at $4,700 – even with a few surprises like replacing some lights and the two new doors to the choir loft. The existing doors no longer fit because they had been cut to accommodate a higher choir loft so, this time around, standard doors would do.
Morey says the volunteer labour – around 300 hours of it – made a big difference.
The project was funded by the church's in-memorial fund, which the treasurer gave the go-ahead to tap. Looking ahead, they hope to replenish the fund with grants and fundraisers, like the recent Heart and Song Celtic music concern Morey put on with her musical friends as the first show in the new surroundings.
As for church services, they have heard the odd complaint that – with everything on one level – you can't see the choir when they're sitting down. But the choir doesn't consider this a problem, Morey said.
“That is the trade-off for accessibility and versatility,” she stated.
“I can't say enough about how great everybody has been, because change is hard. Everybody has been very positive about it.
“It worked just the way we thought it would.”
“On time and on budget,” Mulvey added.
