Scroll to the bottom for pictures taken 4-14-20

Hope this email finds you all healthy and safe, and if not my prayers go out to you for a speedy recovery.

This week work at Calvary has been put on hold by NYS PAUSE.  Belfor has completed the entire gutting of fellowship hall from top to bottom.  They have scaffolding throughout the sanctuary but the hoped for exemption to allow them to continue working to clean the ceiling area has not materialized.  After visiting the building daily and seeing the full, active crew working so hard to move forward, when I went on Tuesday morning it was a lonely place.  I will be posting photos on the website and video on YouTube showing how complete the clean up has been and just how deserted it feels tomorrow and will send links when they are uploaded.

Though the Belfor work has been put on hold, work for the fire committee continues.  A number of us met with Charlie of American Eagle Electric on Tuesday morning and climbed back up to the dance floor.  There we had a very informative conversation about required quotes for necessary rewiring of the electrical work in that area, including upgrading our light fixtures to use LED bulbs, both the flood lights on the sides and the chandeliers.  John C, our super intelligent engineer, requested a quote on adding large fans to the ceiling that would break up the layers of temperatures that are present normally in our sanctuary.  We all know hot air rises so we have been paying to keep the upper reaches of our building hot while we have to wear sweaters and jackets In the pews.  These fans will break up this unequal heating and help keep the entire room equally warm.  The end result will be a much more comfortable sanctuary and a savings on our heating bills.  Seems like a win/win idea to me.

American Electric has continued working to permanently wire outdoor lighting to replace the temporary, generator run lighting that was installed after the fire as a security measure.  Up until now John C and Damian D have been going to the church every evening and morning to turn on and off the temporary lighting.  The new lighting will be on a timer and be automatic.  

The committee has also continued to research the organ restoration and work with Foley Baker and the insurance company to be sure we get a fair settlement.  The obvious goal here is to get our organ back up and working as it was before the fire.  If you want to know more about our wonderful instrument, I strongly suggest you talk to Luke P.  He is an expert on the Skinner Organ and has been invaluable in getting the correct information as we work on this portion of our claim.

We have also gotten 2 estimates on the value of the melted stained glass window (the Ward Window).  One of the companies that were contacted found a lot of unknown information which I want to share with you.  The window is not a Tiffany but was created Gorham Studios.  Click here for a  PDF file of the information provided by Julie Sloan, Consultant on Stained Glass.  It is an interesting read.

We are also working to get a copy of the inventory completed by the insurance company but that has not yet arrived.

So even though work within the building has come to a halt, working to keep our claim moving forward has not.  The fire committee continues to do our best to get the Calvary building back to where we can meet again, once we are allowed to meet.

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Now looking forward.  Sunday’s special music will be Ain’t Got Time To Die, sung by the Calvary Singers at the Habitat for Humanity Talent show in 2018 and videoed by Wendy S.  This will be available on our YouTube channel tomorrow after noon and remain there afterwards.  So as last week be sure to visit and listen before or after Pastor J’s service Sunday at 9am on our Facebook page.

And don’t forget to come to Worship Service at 9AM on the Facebook page.  Last week we had some technical difficulties but hoping all goes smoothly this week.

Wednesday Bible Study continues – 12:30 via zoom.  Contact Peter S  for more info.

In addition to adding a second Bible Study the Session and the Fire Committee are discussing how to provide opportunities for “virtual” coffee hour or other times of conversation to help keep us connected.  Watch for opportunities. In fact, Peter S sent the following message regarding Bible Study earlier today.  I am repeating it here in case you missed it.

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Calvary Friends:

If you are interested in joining a Bible Study of Calvary folks please respond to me, Peter Surgenor, or Rev. Lewis. We will work to find a time that will fit as many schedules as possible.  We use a Zoom.us meeting as a platform – it is possible to join by video call or simply using your phone alone.

The Wednesday Bible Study has been going on so long and has reached a level of intimacy that new members are not being added at this time.

We hope that you have been reading Sue Young’s weekly updates about the church building (how ironic that while the building is not available to us we are not available to use the building! ).   Work has stopped in response to the Governor’s Covid 19 safety order.  In this hiatus time the Fire Committee continues to work to think ahead and take advantage of options.  Watch for opportunities to voice your thoughts about next steps for Calvary Presbyterian Church.

Eastertide Greetings.  May God be with you.

Rev. Peter S

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Love and hugs to you all.  Hope to virtually see you Sunday at the service.

Sue

(Scroll down to see photos)

Not much to report this week.  Asbestos removal took place from Saturday through Wednesday.  Belfor Restoration returned in full force in spite of the Covid19 quarantine.  Their work fits one of the categories that is allowed to continue working.  This is great for their workers because they don’t suffer lost wages and we really gain because they continue to make dramatic advancement in the clean up after the fire.  It is also great for the Calvary family because it gets us closer to the day that our church building will be whole again. They are primarily focusing their efforts in the clean up of the basement.  When I visited yesterday there was a constant flow of workers going in and out of the basement door removing the damage caused by water.

Yesterday I met with Kelly, a photographer of the Times Herald Record to take photos for Lana, the reporter who covered the fire back on March 5th.  Kris, my daughter and I showed her around the building pointing out the major changes in the building.  Then we went to the sanctuary with the goal of going up the scaffolding steps to the “dance floor”.  Kris made it up about 3 steps and she was out.  Kelly made it up to the first platform before her fear of heights kicked in.  But I made it to the top!!! Exhilarating.  I was able to take some photos while there to share with the Record and to post on the website.  It is quite a different  view of the organ than I have even seen.  And I got to check out the stained glass window way up over the pulpit.  I am happy to report that the window is not is as bad shape as it looks from the floor.  It is just quite dirty. In the afternoon I did a phone interview with Lana and she will be doing a follow up article telling the good news of our progress.  I will post the link to the story when it appears.

John C also visited the church this week and shared videos, including on the dance floor.  Visit the YouTube page to see his great videography.  Thanks John, for sharing your work.

Sunday it will be a month since the fire at Calvary and so much has happened since then. Remember, the days when we used to get together and greet each other with a hug?  Yep – that was only a month ago, but it seems so much longer.  I hope you are all surviving these challenging and often lonely times. I encourage you to think of  those that you care about or have touched your life in any way and reach out to them.  We all need to be in contact, even though we can’t physically get close.

Here are some photos showing the progress this week.  To see videos with more coverage visit our YouTube Channel.  I have uploaded videos every day showing the progress.  I am sure you will be amazed. Scroll down to read this week’s update.

Tuesday March 24, 2020

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Friday, March 27, 2020

I hope this update finds everyone health, happy and not to stir crazy!  Even though many have been staying home and safe, the work at Calvary continues fast and furiously.

We started the week peacefully with Pastor J leading worship via Facebook Live with voice, keyboard, meditation and prayer with Cynthia L acting as technician and camera person.  Tomorrow’s service will be streamed live through Facebook at 9 AM and afterwards will be posted on our YouTube channel and on our website.  You can visit calvarypresbychurch.org for information to log on to Facebook live or to view the video afterwards (and see previous weeks’ services).  Be sure to like the Calvary Facebook page to join in.

But then the pace was picked up when restoration at the church continued on Monday.  In spite of the rapidly changing state rules regarding essential businesses and the closing down of those that are not, Belfor was able to continue their work.  By Wednesday the busy crew had completely stripped the main room of Fellowship Hall to the cinderblock walls and steel beams.  Work began upstairs and by Friday all of the walls and ceilings were removed leaving only the studs and the bathrooms.  They also cleaned the basement in preparation for the necessary asbestos removal.  This process started yesterday with the taping off to isolate the affected areas (kitchen floor and back corner ceiling) and today the asbestos clean up started.  Be aware no one can go into the Fellowship Hall until this is completed on Wednesday or Thursday.

When I visited the church yesterday, the entire sanctuary was full of scaffolding, allowing workers access to the highest area in the space. All across the top section is a wooden floor that the workers put in to allow the crew to safely work.  They call this the dance floor.  Even with this in place 10 foot ladders will be required to reach the highest points for cleaning and painting.  Geoff, the head of the Belfor crew, told the fire committee at our Zoom meeting this morning that there is about a ¾ inch layer of dust on the ceiling and beams which they will be cleaning before painting.  As an allergy sufferer, I will truly appreciate this clean up!  It is estimated that this scaffolding will be in place for two months during which time the Belfor crew will clean and paint and the crew from Lamb Studio will clear our stained glass windows.  It is hoped that the organ restoration will begin shortly and coincide with this work

The fire committee continues to work with Geoff and the insurance company, submitting estimates for work by Lamb Studios for the stained glass cleaning, for Lime Electric to replace our lighting with LED technology and others.  The proposed work to upgrade to LED will be subsidized by 50% by Central Hudson.

One more update completed this week is that CDR Alarm company has completed repairing our alarm system and we now have a fully functioning wired alarm system, covering all access areas and motion detection within the entire structure.

Looking forward, Geoff has been advised the construction services are no longer considered essential business but is hoping the he will be able to start work in the Sanctuary possibly as building cleaning and maintenance or construction for safety purposes.  I may not have that exact but Geoff is looking for a loop hole to keep our progress moving forward.

My prayers go up for all of our Calvary friends and family that you are all happy and health.

Wow!  What a week!  In spite of the threat of Covid19, work at Calvary has been happening at a frantic pace.  Here’s the latest news for the week of March 13 – 20. (Thank you to Peter S for organizing this information which has been a big help to me)

The week started out with Jim F working his magic as he managed to get Central Hudson to come and reconnect the electricity.  Up until then we were working with temporary power provided by the work of American Eagle run off the temporary lighting set up outside the week before with the help of John and Jack C.

On Friday, March 13,  Belfor Restoration was on site to install heavy duty extension cords and set up air filters,  dehumidifiers and temporary lights inside so the space would be safer to begin the arduous task of the clean up..  That evening, the Fire Committee met at Union Presbyterian Church to catch up, consider options and make plans for moving ahead.

Saturday, in the midst of the debris of Fellowship hall Roy P, Carol L and Sue Y worked to salvage pieces of the stained glass window that was on the stage.  There have been rumors about this window being a Tiffany but based on records and an inspection of the remnants of the glass and lead, it is more likely that this window was the creation of John LaForge or Donald McDonald.  This window was originally installed in the Calvary Presbyterian Church located on Liberty Street.  When First Presbyterian and Calvary joined congregations, the window was moved to what was its locaton in fellowship hall.  This would have been in the mid 1900s.  The window was most likely created in the late 1890s to the early 1900s.  What remains of the window has been put in wooden trays for storage but is completely destroyed from the intense heat and cannot be restored.

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Our Sunday Morning service on March 15^th was attended by 4 people worshiping at Best Temple.  Damian D worked with Pastor J to use Facebook to livestream the service so it could be viewed live by members and friends of Calvary .  The service included a prelude of singing and piano by Pastor J . He then shared an inspirational message.  Afterwards those present joined in prayer for our community and the world. The video has been added to our YouTube page.  It is available there and on our website for folks to continue to worship along with it and continue to be an outreach to our faith community.

On Monday, an inventory firm was on site counting and logging all of the contents in the building lost as a result of the fire.  Jim and Helen F assisted in this task to assure everything was being reported to the insurance company.

Tuesday, March 17,  Befor Restoration under the direction of Geoff arrived, set up 2 large dumpsters and a truck and began removing the soggy debris from Fellowship Hall.  This work continued through out the day on Wednesday when a larger crew from Belfor arrived.  They began removing furniture for cleaning or disposal.  Two and a half 30 yard dumpsters were filled and removed that day.  Jim F reported that a neighborhood church was able to salvage much needed folding chairs and tables (covered for us under the insurance) before they were thrown into the dumpster.  Jim states “They were very grateful – I guess blessings come in all sizes.”

Also on Wednesday, Luke P, John C and Sue Y met with Odell, the insurance company adjuster for the musical instruments.  They looked at the 3 pianos first.  The one in the basement suffered water damage, the one in fellowship hall, as you can see from the pictures, is toast (sorry had to say that) but the grand piano in the sanctuary is in good shape, just will need cleaning from smoke damage.  The group then went to the organ loft to examine the Skinner Organ.  Odell checked out the great, the swell and the console and the bellows in the tower and has determined the the entire organ will need to be completely cleaned, inside and out.  The fire committee has already been working with Foley Baker, the company who has been working on the organ over the years and have gotten their estimate for the work. We are awaiting Odell’s final report which he will be submitting to the insurance company.  The fire committee will be getting competitive bids for the required work based on this report from other qualified organ companies.  It was a great discussion, with Luke P and expert on our Skinner and other instruments of similar design and John C with his analytical engineering mind, Odell knows we are aware of what we have and that we want to protect it.

On Thursday, three more dumpsters of smoked debris were removed as the interior walls of Fellowship Hall were dismantled.  Peter S and I met with David of  Lamb Stained Glass for them to provide a quote for cleaning of our stained glass windows and to determine a value of the window that was on the stage.  We also checked the back side of the rose window (the Martha and Mary window) and found it to be in excellent shape.  This is amazing because the “outside” of this window in boxed in on the 2nd floor of fellowship hall and could have easily been smoke or heat damaged from the fire.    David commented that this is a beautiful window and probably was created in England.

Started on Thursday and continued on Friday  was the erection  of scaffolding in the sanctuary.  This will allow workers access to the highest points of the building for cleaning and painting.  The clearstory stained glass windows will be cleaned while this scaffolding is up.

By Friday afternoon, fellowship hall has been stripped to the cinderblock walls.  Work will continue next week to gut the second floor, leaving only the restrooms untouched.  The basement which has water damage is also slated  for work on the wall between the kitchen and the large school room.

One of the most exciting moments for me (Sue Y)  this week was discovering that the Christmas bell survived the fire.  When I was getting ready to leave church this morning I happened to notice that the workers were opening up the area over our handicapped bathrooms.  Realizing that the Christmas bell had been stored there I asked Geoff of Belfor what happened to the bell that had been stored there.  I completely expected it to be a lump of melted PVC and fabric soot.  You can imagine my shock when he told me that it was in the sanctuary on the pews.  Sure enough there it was.  The cover was a bit smudged but the bell was intact within.  All it will take is laundering the fabric and some new PVC and it will be as good as new.

A lot has happened in the past week.  If you have a chance feel free to stop by the church and see the work for yourself.  For those who cannot make it I have included the pictures  so you can more understand what is happening.