It certainly has been an amazing year since the night of of the fire May 16th, 2013! The progress has been tremendous! The clean up and removal of debris took many man hours, days and months. The of the column and main area of the fire took extensive study and detailed engineering to be re stabilized to create a safe working environment. We had to turn off main power sources using massive generators and installation of temporary power source. Both interior and exterior masonry demolition work to areas that suffered from both the fire and water damage took place. The pews underwent too much damage to be saved and were removed. The wood floors buckled and had to be torn up, the wainscoting was also removed form the side aisle walls. Stained glass windows endured damage, many have been removed along with the protective glass. Our slate roof was .totally removed, much damage from the heat of the fire and the need to cut into the roof to attack the fire. The lower roofs encountered damage form the falling slate were cut and soon will be removed. Plaster from the ceiling down had to be removed due to water damage - saturated beyond repair. The wooden beams in the ceiling areas -were very charred and were sandblasted to save what was possible.
The above is a mere snip it of what has been going on in our beautiful Church of St. Mary. From the exterior views one may wonder what is going and taking so long. We have a work force that is so very committed to the utmost superior repair, attention to detail, professionalism and knowledge- we are truly blessed. Our general contractor being Pelletier Builders, Inc. overseeing over 10 different subcontracting companies- which is no small task.