The church bell tolls no more at the Petitcodiac Baptist Church as the New Brunswick village mourns the loss of its century old church.
On Tuesday, demolition began on the older section of the church that has towered over the village since 1879.
“I am very sad, that steeple has been an icon in this village for a long time,” said church historian and parishioner Joyce Barbour.
Barbour said that the church’s 215 members are heartbroken, including the village’s former fire chief Gerald Jones who has attended the church for 65 years.
“It’s sad to see it go” Jones said, adding that it was necessary for the safety of the village.
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According to church board member, Gerry Prosser, the board voted to demolish the building after the building’s oil tanks sprang a major leak on July 2.
“The tanks leaked outside the building and the oil got under the building — approximately 1400 litres,” Prosser said.
He said the original plan was to have the oil leak cleaned up and the building restored, but with the cost estimated at more than $700,000, it was too hefty a price tag for the small community church.
The decision became final after a post-oil leak inspection revealed that the church’s steeple was also rotting away.
“It’s rotten really bad up there. I am surprised it’s still standing,” said Gary Myers from Sugar Shack Construction, the company conducting the demolition.
“It’s been a landmark for a lot of years, but under the circumstances I don’t think we had a lot of choice,” said Prosser.
The newer section where church services are now held is being spared, so Sunday services will continue.
Meanwhile, Barbour calls the oil leak a possible blessing in disguise.
“If the timbers and the wood up there are that rotten, who knows what could have happened in a big storm.”
Watching the steeple come down on Tuesday, with the wood pieces falling apart in the workers’ hands, Jones agrees, calling the oil leak divine intervention.
He believes that the bell could have easily collapsed into the building, in the same place where the children’s Sunday school was being held.
The bell will be put into storage until the community decides if and when it plans to rebuild.
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