Rebuild Updates from the Rev Sophie Rolland

It has now been over two months since the fire at St James’ ravaged through the roof of the Kitchen, Memorial Hall and church. The site may still look like a construction site but we are moving forward on some important work towards the rebuilding of the church.

Our Priorities are the same as a month ago. Our first goal is to have a permanent roof on the church before winter. This will definitely be a challenge but we have chosen an architectural firm that is committed to getting us plans quickly that can then be implemented quickly. If we are not able to have a permanent roof up by winter we will need to erect a temporary roof in order to protect the foundation from the stresses of melting and freezing water that could be trapped in the crawl space under the church.

Our next priority will be to have the Large Hall functional. This will be facilitated by having the area between the Large Hall and the Church dismantled and cleared away. Most of this area has become structurally unsound due the walls being open to the weather, but we are keeping all of the facing stone to use when we are ready to rebuild. Once, at least some of the walls are dismantled we will be able to efficiently finish cleaning the asbestos in the Memorial Hall and we will have the space to install a temporary second entrance to the large hall with bathrooms and a HVAC system so that we can heat the space in winter.

We have been in conversation with the Town of Hudson and have received a permit to begin this work with the three walls of the Memorial Hall which are the most unstable and  dangerous. So, you might have noticed that the walls have already begun to come down. You might have also noticed that there is virtually no stained glass in the church anymore. The stained glass has been removed in order to be protected during the rebuilding process, cleaned and to have any required repairs done. There is still one in place that will be removed shortly.

Although the work is still far from finished, we are excited to be able to invite the whole community to the grounds for our annual Strawberry Social. Weather Permitting, we will have it on Sunday July 14th from 4-6 pm. We will be offering strawberries and cream and a variety of cool drinks. It will be a wonderful opportunity for people to get a closer look at what has been happening.

We appreciate all of the support you have given us and look forward to continue walking this rebuilding journey together!