Hi friends,
Obviously we didn’t make our May 1 goal of completing this renovation. We all know the pandemic has delayed everything and caused many projects to be delayed, and ours is no exception. However, here is what is new.
MAY: We had a picnic on the grounds in conjunction with our 100-year anniversary of the new sanctuary on Valley River Avenue. Attendance was great and Ted Olson of Sacred Places came and gave a speech. In the last months of 2020, the national non-profit, Partners for Sacred Places, reached out to FUMC to invite us to apply for their Central Appalachia program, which will help sustain the chapel’s presence in the community and assist with preserving folk art, architecture, and cultural traditions through repair and restoration work with local artists, craftspeople, and artisans. With our acceptance into this program, we are already benefiting from the expertise, knowledge, and support Partners brings to the table. We have received a planning grant from them and are awaiting the funds now.
JUNE: We have now received new engineering plans from Tyndall which include options A and B. We’re going with plan B. Tyndall has proposed an alternative plan for the roof system and they referred to our old plans from Harris in regards to the steeple rebuild.
This week (end of June) we have started reaching out to get bids from local firms to determine the cost of the new plan. One of the companies we’ve heard from is Penland Builders who redid the Beal Center in Hayesville. We’ve also heard back from Wells and West, and both firms are looking over the plans. Once we have an idea of how much the new plans cost we can start to figure out our next steps.
Friends of Harshaw Chapel 