December, 2023
Dear Friends and Supporters of the Rebuilding Our Church Campaign,
Cathedral renewal work is underway! Here’s an update on what’s been happening so far.
Elevator Replacement and Accessible Washrooms
The renewal: The obsolete elevator in the cathedral had a difficult-to-maneuver swing door, and required an attendant to press and hold the button while it was raised or lowered. The new elevator will have an interior vestibule with a proper wheelchair turning radius, and automatic sliding doors, allowing independent use. The old elevator entrance was below grade, so there was a steeply-sloping sidewalk to reach it. The new elevator will have a grade-level entrance, which should be easier for those with mobility aids to access.
Instead of two wheelchair-inaccessible washrooms on either side of the elevator, there will be one accessible washroom in the foyer beside the elevator, and another accessible washroom where the elevator opens in the basement.
Surprises: Renewal of any age of building can have surprises; in the case of 110+-year-old Holy Rosary, we now expect the unexpected. Excavation work on the new sanitary line serving the basement accessible washroom led to the first surprise of the project: the original sewer line had the original water line right next to it. As a result, the new manhole could not be installed without the risk of damaging the water line. After evaluating the options, the decision was made to replace the original water line and sanitary line back to the City service connections. The cost of this change will be charged to the budgeted contingency allowance (see: note under construction budget report below).
Work completed so far:
1. Exterior heat-hoarding walls for constructing the new elevator entrance have been built (see photo above).
2. The old elevator has been removed, and the existing washrooms in the west tower have been demolished.
3. Portions of the basement slab have been demolished in and adjacent to the west tower, to accommodate the new elevator sump pit and the sanitary line serving the new basement washroom.
4. The new water and sewer lines connecting to the City services have been installed.
South Stair Replacement
The renewal: The crumbling south stair of the cathedral will be removed and rebuilt. As a result, the damage to the foundation, bricks and stone masonry caused by the uneven settlement will be corrected. Cold air will no longer plague that stairway in winter, or cause frozen water pipes. The rebuilt stairwell will also provide one of the safety exits from the church required by the building code.
Surprises: When the plaster was removed from the south stair exterior walls and an abutting interior foundation wall, severe cracking was revealed in the interior foundation wall, which helps support the apse of the church. This wall needed replacement prior to the demolition of the south stair. If it had not been discovered, with further deterioration, the cracking could have traveled up through the apse of the church and led to more extensive damage. The decision was made to remove and replace the affected segment of interior foundation wall and the cost of this change will be charged to the budgeted contingency allowance (see: note under construction budget report below).
Work completed so far:
1. The outer layer of bricks from the south stair has come off, and the bricks have been cleaned and stored in plywood boxes for use in future repairs to the building.
2. Interior hoarding walls to separate the church from the south stair construction zone have been constructed and insulated.
3. Foundation walls which will be impacted by demolition have been fully exposed and assessed.
4. Portions of the concrete slab in the boiler room have been removed for installation of new segments of the sanitary and storm lines. These new segments have been installed.
Next step: Removal of the south stair structure…
Cathedral Renewal Phase 1 Construction Budget Report
*Note: To date, $127,364.43 of the budgeted construction contingency has been committed. The two largest commitments have been: approximately $55,000 for replacing the water and sanitary lines and approximately $65,000 for replacing the cracked interior foundation wall.
As always and especially at this time of year, we offer you our heartfelt gratitude for your faithful support of our Archdiocese and of this campaign and renewal work.
May the Lord bless you and all your family and friends as we approach the light of Christmas.
Your Campaign Team
Archbishop Don Bolen, Lisa Polk, Michelle Sanche, John Dipple, Mo Bundon, Samy McCarthy, Ron Kruzeniski, Garth Herbert and James Lipoth
P.S. Feel free to contact us if you have questions or comments: [email protected]
P.P.S. You can find past updates here: https://rebuildingourchurch.ca/blog/2021/02/27/campaign-news-and-updates