Many Areas of Construction Complete

This information was published in the Somers Congregational Church restoration news center on May 8, 2013:


Rev. Dr. Barry Cass

There are many areas of construction that are complete or very nearly complete now.  The structural steel is in place.  The primary roof for the building is complete.  Concrete slabs have been laid for the floors on the second and third levels.  The elevator shaft has been finished and the concrete work that needs to be done around the organ loft is being finished this week.

Over the next few weeks all of the stairways will be brought in and put in place and will eventually be cemented. The stone work on the foundation is nearly complete.  Sheathing of the roof and walls will be complete soon and a current goal is to have the entire structure water-tight as soon as possible. 

Looking at the building now, you can see where the windows will be.  Next week a few of the Building Committee people will be meeting with the stain glass contractor to pick the glass.  The goal will be to select glass that is as close to what we had as possible.  The wood frames for the windows, both stained and clear, will be milled and ready for installation in the August-September time frame, after which the siding will be installed.  This is not as soon as we had hoped to have siding in place, but it reflects the reality of the schedules of various contractors.

The carillon has arrived and is ready to be installed when the time comes.  The controls for the carillon will be located in the narthex in an out of the way yet accessible location.  As in the old Meeting House, the carillon is an electronic system with speakers in the steeple. We will be able, once again, to play music at preselected times of the day that will be heard throughout the town.  We will also be able to use the carillon to ring after weddings, or to play music at other times.

There will be two stairways in the narthex, as there were in the former church, however there will be a significant difference.  The stairway in the southwest corner (bank side) of the building will give access to the balcony and the foundation room, while the stairway in the southeast corner will only give access to the balcony.  This is the opposite of the stairways in the old Meeting House.  The southwest stairway is the emergency exit for all three levels and will have an exit door onto the lawn.  The southeast stairway will be the location of the pull rope for the bell.  The bell will be rung from the landing between the sanctuary and balcony floors.  The logo and motto that were removed from the bell destroyed in the fire will be displayed by the pull rope.  It did not seem to make financial sense to try to salvage the old bell, but having the logo and motto on display is a good way to remember the Meeting House we lost.

Another pretty noticeable part of the new Meeting House will be an entrance canopy constructed for the current main entrance.  This will make it more convenient to get into the offices and will allow one to get out of the weather while getting the door unlocked.  We are also improving the lighting around the entrance. 

Once the building is weather tight it will be a little harder to see what is going on, but weekly updates will continue to keep everyone abreast of developments as things progress.