Parsonage Repairs Project
From the Church Moderator
Dear Members and Friends,
As many of you are now aware, our congregation has been struggling with physical infrastructure issues for some time. Owning a church building, land, and parsonage presents many challenges which, in spite of our regular attention, are ongoing.
Tackling the parsonage first, it is a building built in the early 1900’s for the purpose of housing our settled pastors. Over the years we have been able to modernize much of the building’s essential components but the foundation itself has begun to show its’ age and the materials used in its construction have begun to deteriorate. In order to maintain the integrity of the structure as a whole, it has become necessary to engage a contractor for the purpose of repairing the wall facing the church. Our recent (March 12) special meeting of the congregation authorized the borrowing of money to complete that project.
There was much discussion at this meeting about making sure we did our due diligence in seeking construction estimates and let me assure you, we did just that. Our Treasurer made several attempts to get bids on the project. Selecting at least 5 contractors big enough to do the job, he reached out to all hearing back from two of them. Only one agreed to come look and provide an estimate. Such is the world we live in when it comes to construction projects large and small in the County. We could have extended the search outside of Aroostook County but as you can imagine, the costs would have been much higher.
Now for the other issue, the sewer system. Again we go back in time to an era much different than today. The materials used were likely never imagined lasting a hundred years. Buildings that existed in and around the church have been demolished and handwritten drawings are all that exists showing where lines are believed to be.
What is known:
there is a history of sewer line blockages for the parsonage, and the church
the sewer line from the neighboring apartment joins the parsonage sewer line
the parsonage sewer line extends by (or under) the church office annex, across the parking lot, and down to Second Street – a very long run, with a history of freezing and being clogged with roots
the church sewer line is also a long run to Second Street, and may connect to the parsonage sewer in the parking lot
What is not known:
the condition of the sewer line beneath the parking lot and beyond
whether the church sewer line is completely separate from the parsonage line
our options for separating any lines that may currently be connected
At our special meeting we also discussed extra borrowing up to $20,000 to address the issues we face with the system.
Leadership will work with the Presque Isle Utilities District, collaborating with the company we have been working with over the years to determine and implement solutions that will last significantly into the future. We will employ the same due diligence in this project as we did with the foundation wall.
We will provide you with frequent updates as the projects move forward. Please know that you can continue to reach out to me with any questions you may have.
Calvin Hall, Moderator
chall001@maine.rr.com