The restoration process is about to enter a new phase. Months of investigation, cleaning, and planning have brought the Insurance and Rebuilding Committee to the point where they are ready to begin rebuilding the roof. In the coming weeks we will see new building materials where now we see only charred lumber and broken slate.
In a simple structure, a peaked roof (as opposed to a flat roof) has rafters that extend from the walls to a central board or beam. In a larger structure, especially one like ours with a heavy slate roof, additional supports must be added to keep the roof from sagging. Grace Church’s roof uses trusses to provide this support. Because the rafters themselves are long, horizontal supports are added between the rafters. These are called purlins. Finally, between the rafters we have horizontal planks, which are about 1 inch thick and seven inches wide.
We learned earlier this year that the trusses all survived the fire. Many of them were charred, some more than others, but there is enough solid wood remaining that they can all be used, although some need to be reinforced. Whew! That’s a big plus. Some of the rafters and purlins were completely destroyed, some were damaged but remained usable, and some were merely covered with soot and ash.
As weather permitted this winter and spring, crews worked to clean up all of the usable wood in the roof and get it ready for the rebuilding process. They have also cleaned all of the soot and debris from the insides of the stone walls. One detail of the cleaning process is that it makes use of ground-up walnut shells. Ground to a texture like sand, the walnut shells are blown against the charred wood by compressed air. This removes the charred wood but leaves the sound wood intact. How cool is that?!
The Insurance and Rebuilding Commitee—Dustin Kennedy, Anthony Argibay, Sam Moultrhop, Denarra Simmons, Alison Hurlock, and Pastor Robin Miller Currás—continue to amaze with their dedication, wisdom, and drive.
Thank you, the Grace community, for praying for the rebuilding and restoration! Please keep it up. God is answering those prayers. Keep an eye on Grace’s weekly emails and on our social media for news and photos. If you would like to donate to the rebuilding fund, please go to gracemontclair.org/give and select “Church Rebuilding Fund” from the pull-down menu near the dollar amount. Or you can send a check to the church at 153 Grove Street with “Rebuilding Fund” written in the memo line. Thank you again!