church steeple 12/17/01

Old steeple gets new lookBart BachmanCONWAY The steeple atop First Baptist Church in North Conway Village is getting a shiny new look.Aging cedar shingles are being replaced with a metallic, copper-colored material chosen for its durability. The weather vane is being restored also, and improvements are being made to the bell tower.Work got under way about two weeks ago and, if the weather cooperates, should be completed within the next few days."We've had it on our agenda to repair our steeple for some time," said Pastor Lawrence Brown, "and we've managed to put money together through the giving of the Lord's people here."Brown didn't want to reveal the cost of the project but said the money is coming from freewill donations from members of the congregation. Some people have donated money specifically for the steeple repairs, he said, "but there is not a special fund for this purpose."The church was founded in 1796, originally meeting in people's homes and area meeting houses. The church building itself was constructed in 1830.Brown said the bell in the bell tower was purchased from the Paul Revere Shop in Boston and transported to North Conway by ox cart."We still have the original receipt for the bell," Brown said. "They charged $5 for a trucking charge. By ox cart, it must have taken three weeks."Brown said there is actually a smaller steeple inside the steeple that is now being refurbished. The larger steeple, he said, was possibly added about 125 years ago, as part of a church renovation."This is first major work on the steeple in probably 50 years," Brown said. "Those shingles are old cedar shakes, secured with square, hand-cut nails, so they've been there a pretty long time."Colin McLaskey and Deena Bartlett, of CMC Construction, of Brownfield, Maine, are doing the work."We've removed all the old cedar shingles," McLaskey said. "They were pretty well worn out. They (church leaders and members) decided to clad the steeple with a metallic copper so they wouldn't have to worry about it again for many, many years."McLaskey said the metallic material resembles copper but is not copper and therefore will not tarnish."It will look that color 30 years from now," he said. "That's the whole reason they went this route. The metal we put on there is warranteed for 30 years."The steeple is about 85 to 90 feet off the ground, and McLaskey said the most time-consuming part of the job is that there are a "lot of trips up and down the ladder."Some guys rent big hydraulic platforms," he said. "I considered that option, but churches are usually on pretty small budgets. I've never been a person who likes to overcharge anybody on anything. Anytime you work a piece of equipment like that into a job, you're really pricing it right out there. I still like to do things the old-fashioned way."The project also includes restoration of the weather vane that sits atop the steeple. McLaskey said the weather vane is an old crow bar with some directional arms welded on."I guess in its day it was a pretty fancy weather vane," he said. "But there are so many pieces missing now."The weather vane was taken down and restored in the CMC shop. As of Wednesday afternoon, McLaskey was waiting for a break in the rainy weather to put the weather vane back up."We have reached the point where we have to put the weather vane in place before we finish sheathing the steeple," he said.