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Yott(n,6s THE MIRACLE OF THE STEEPLE by Terry Harnan
IT STARTED BY TRYING TO FIND THE CAUSE OF A LEAK IN THE ROOF OF THE SANCTUARY. TOM
LLOYD WENT UP TO INVESTIGATE THE STEEPLE FLOOR) RETURNED WITH REPORTS OF ROTTING WOOD BUT WITH
HIGH PRAISE FOR THE BEAUTIFUL STEEPLE ITSELF. SOON CHURCH MEMBERS CAUGHT HIS ENTHUSIASM AND
ASKED COULDNIT IT BE RESTORED? THE FIRM OF SCHMITT ENGINEERING WAS CONTACTE9 AND ALSO SEVERAL
STEEPLEJACKS WERE ASKED TO GIVE RECOMMENDATIONS AND COST ESTIMATES. ALMOST ALL ADVISED THAT THE
STEEPLE BE DEMOLISHED TO BE REPLACED WITH A NEW STRUCTURE USING NEW MATERIALS. ESTIMATED COSTS
WERE A STAGGERING $70,000 TO $133,000. IN THE KITTY AT THAT POINT WAS ABOUT $10,000 AND SMALL
CHANCE OF RAISING MUCH MORE.
THREE CHURCHMEN GOT TOGETHER TO TALK OVER THE SITUATION. DOUG GREGG, PETER YOUNG AND
DON TAUBE COULD NOT SEE WHY THE TOWER HAD TO BE RAZED SINCE THE ENGINEERING REPORTS SAID IT WAS
IN FAIRLY GOOD STRUCTURAL CONDITION. WHY DID HIGH-PRICED PROFESSIONAL BUILDERS HAVE TO BE USED
WHEN THE ORIGINAL HAD BEEN DONE BY 1836 COUNTRY CARPENTERS? WEREN'T THERE PEOPLE IN OUR OWN
CHURCH COMMUNITY WITH THE VARIED ABILITIES TO WORK AS VOLUNTEERS SO THAT THE COSTLY NEED FOR
SPECIALISTS COULD BE KEPT TO A MINIMUM?
DOUG GREGG TOOK ON THE HERCULEAN TASK OF OUTLINING THE JOBS FOR VOLUNTEERS, OF
LOCATING SPECIALISTS AMONG LOCAL MEN AT LOCAL PRICES, AND OF ORCHESTRATING BOTH SO THEY COULD
WORK SMOOTHLY TOGETHER. BUT IN ACCEPTING THE HEAVY RESPONSIBILITY OF BEING STRUCTURAL CHAIRMAN
OF THE STEEPLE COMMITTEE HE REQUESTED THAT A CO-CHAIRMAN BE APPOINTED TO HANDLE THE FUND-RAISING
PART OF IT. MIKE COMANDO TOOK ON THAT JOB AND WAS SOON HELPED BY MANY OTHERS IN THE CHURCH
COMMUNITY.
JOELLA VREELAND ARRANGED FOR A LOW-INTEREST LOAN OF $10,000 FROM THE STATE CONVENTION
OF UNIVERSALISTS, AND LATER SHE WON A VEACH FOUNDATION MATCHING GRANT OF ANOTHER $10,000. SHE
ALSO CONTRIBUTED MONEY FROM SALES OF HER BOOK ON THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH AMOUNTING TO $900.
ELAINE BREESE GOT A SACRED SITES GRANT OF $8,000 FROM N.Y. LANDMARK CONSERVANCY. MARGE COREY
AND DORIS VERWAYEN CO-CHAIRED A STEEPLE FAIR TO RAISE $4900. CHURCH MEMBERS DONATED $4,000,
AND ONE SPECIAL SUNDAY PLATE COLLECTION YIELDED $500. A LOST LADIES FUND TRANSFER GAVE $600
MORE, AND T-SHIRT SALES HANDLED BY FAITH SCOTT ADDED $350 MORE TO THE FUND.
BUT BEFORE ANY RESTORATION COULD BE STARTED THERE HAD TO BE AN ASSURED SOLID FOUNDA-
TION ON WHICH TO REST THE REBUILDING. THAT MEANT INSPECTING THE FOOTINGS. EXPERIENCED
SPELUNKER DOUG SOROKA, FLAT ON HIS CHEST, SQUIRMED INTO THE CRAWL SPACE UNDER THE CHURCH FLOOR
AND LOOKED THINGS OVER, SCOOPING AWAY THE DIRT BY USING COFFEE CANS. DOUG GREGG AND TOM LLOYD
JOINED HIM IN THIS RISKY WORK. THEY FOUND LOOSE PILES OF ROUND FIELD STONES THAT WERE IN-
ADEQUATE BASES FOR THE HEAVY COLUMNS THEY HAD TO SUPPORT. REINFORCED CONCRETE FOOTINGS
EVENTUALLY TOOK THEIR PLACE.
AND SO IT WENT, EACH PROBLEM BEING MET AS IT CAME UP BY TALENTED, DEDICATED PEOPLE.
DOUG SOROKA'S CLIMBING GEAR WAS USED TO REMOVE THE ROTTING SPIRES FROM THE BELFRY, AND DOUG
GREGG SHOVELED HALF A TON OF BIRD DROPPINGS DOWN A PIPE BORROWED FROM DAISY MORRIS' SEPTIC
TANK SERVICES, EMPTYING IN A BAG HELD AT THE BOTTOM BY NEW MINISTER PETER LEE SCOTT. WHEN THE
TOWER WAS CLEARED ENOUGH, JOHN KUSZYNSKI USED HIS ANTIQUE RESTORING SKILLS ON THE STEEPLE WOOD-
WORK, EXPERTLY MAKING REPAIRS OF WOOD INLAYS AND EPDXIES TO MATCH THE ORIGINALS.
ON MAY 25TH ROS COREY, WHO HAD WORKED ALL WINTER IN HIS BASEMENT AUTHENTICALLC REPRO-
DUCING THE ORIGINAL SPIRES, RAILING, AND EVEN THE WEATHERVANE RIGHT DOWN TO THE GOLD LEAFING,
WATCHED HIS WORK BEING PLACED IN POSITION AT TWO O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON BY PETER YOUNG AND
JOHN KUSZYNSKI . AT LAST THE TOWER WAS FINISHED. FROM TIP TO TOE THIS STRUCTURALLY SOUND,
AUTHENTICALLY RESTORED STEEPLE IS A TRIBUTE TO THE PEOPLE WHOSE PLANNING, INTELLIGENCE, SKILLS
AND PLAIN HARD WORK BROUGHT ABOUT A MODERN-DAY MIRACLE. THANKS TO THE TALENTED LABOR OF
VOLUNTEERS AND THE COLLECTING-INVESTING SKILLS OF MIKE COMANDO, THE WHOLE VENTURE ENDED UP BY
NOT ONLY PAYING ALL ITS BILLS ABOUT $18,000, BUT ACTUALLY HAVING MONEY LEFT OVER TO PAY FOR
A NEW SANCTUARY ROOF ($10,000) AND A NEW PAINTING JOB THE CHURCH BADLY NEEDS.