Dear Friends,
Immediately after Mass on Wednesday morning February 10th a portion of one of the beams that goes from the back of the choir loft to the center of the church fell. It cracked in two as it hit the choir loft rail and half of it landed across approximately four rows of pews. This piece of wood was 2”x8”x several feet. We are most fortunate that only a few people were in the church at this time because of the snow storm. No one was injured.
The diocese sent out engineers who carefully examined the church. They believe the church is structurally sound. The roof is not in danger of collapsing. After this initial examination, engineers and the staff of the Office of Planning, Construction and Facilities of the diocese permitted us to use the church last weekend with certain sections closed off. The engineers and staff of the construction office returned to the church this past Monday for further inspection. They observed that on a number of the beams the laminate is cracked or separating. The beams are not solid pieces of wood but are made up of multiple layers of 2”x8”s which have been glued together. I was informed this past Tuesday morning that because of this the safest course of action would be to close the church entirely. The engineers came to the church again this past Thursday for further evaluation and to decide upon a course of action and repair.
The diocese has discovered that these particular beams were manufactured in 1965. The company stopped using the glue which was used on our beams a few years after our church was built when it was discovered that moisture could cause the glue to disintegrate. It was also observed that when these beams were installed in our church they were attached to the center ceiling with side bolts with no bottom support. The diocese is now working with engineers and contractors to solve this problem which has been developing slowly over the years.
My first concern is your safety. This has all happened rather quickly and the situation is evolving. I will let you know more about the time frame for repairs when I know.
Thank you all for your patience and understanding.
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