By DANIEL SUDDEATH
A little blast from Mother Nature didn’t discourage the members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church — located at 1015 E. Main St. in New Albany.
Last September’s windstorm destroyed a large tree that stood on the church’s property for more than 100 years. That loss was coupled with damage to the St. Paul carriage house.
While the tree can’t exactly be replaced, church officials hope to have the carriage house fixed and expanded by the end of the year, and construction on a new addition has already begun.
Workers from Upton Pry Inc. have already dug the footer for what will be choir and nursery space at the rear of the church. The Rev. Polk Culpepper, of St. Paul, said a 34 percent increase in membership and attendance over the past five years necessitated the expansion.
“We need more room,” he said. The church has a membership of approximately 250, with a Sunday attendance average of more than 100 people, according to Culpepper.
The nursery addition was already part of a construction plan that included doubling the size of the carriage house and renovating the parish hall.
“We had plans before [the damage] to do some remodeling and some new construction, but Hurricane Ike moved us along quicker than we had planned to,” Culpepper said.
Overseeing fundraising for the construction are church members Fran Fach and Don Sodrel. The capital campaign raised more than $500,000 before construction began. Included in that amount was a $20,000 grant from the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County. St. Paul’s member Bob Streepey is in charge of the church’s building committee.
Culpepper said work will begin on the carriage house as soon as it is affirmed by the proper local and state officials, including the Floyd County Historic Preservation Commission.
“As soon as we get final approval, we’ll let the bids on that, too,” Culpepper said. He hopes construction on each building will be finished by the end of the year.
Since the church is a historical landmark, the preservation commission has to give the OK for any additions or construction on the property. Founded in 1834, St. Paul’s was the first continual meeting Episcopal church in Indiana.
