Church expansion starts

Work has started on the site that soon will hold the new addition to St. Mary’s Church here.
A construction crew began digging up the ground to run the power lines this past Thursday (June 19) so the task of laying the foundation can get underway.
In the past few weeks, the crew has been working on the daunting task of clearing the trees and extraneous materials on the lot. But with that now all out of the way, they are expecting to move full steam ahead.
The project is something St. Mary’s is very excited about.
Bob Mitchelson, head of the construction project, noted the purpose of this expansion is to add an office wing to eliminate the rental costs the church currently is incurring by renting space in the old rectory building across the street.
St. Mary’s also is using this opportunity to build meeting rooms and a larger gathering space to accommodate the crowds after mass and special celebrations.
An elevator also is being added to help members of the congregation who find it difficult to go up and down the stairs to reach the main chamber of the church.
Mitchelson noted the expansion is expected to be completed by the Christmas season.
The church will run as normal during this time as the construction crew is working around its schedule.