After weighing several options, the St. Andrew’s congregation has opted to shutter its downtown church indefinitely following a devastating fire earlier this year while it contemplates its next steps.
The church announced Tuesday morning that it will be closing the doors on its building at the corner of Owen and Worsley streets.
A special meeting was held Sunday to determine the church's fate.
"St. Andrew's has a strong record of serving others in the community and we will explore what God calls us to do, and land and building options will be a part of that visioning," Rev. Joanne Lee said in a release.
The church says new opportunities could include a land swap, a land sale and inclusion in a new development or purchase of a different site or building or a new partnership.
"In the midst of these challenges, we know that God is with us. He has been faithful as we have worked alongside others, including our own Women's Missionary Society and our neighbouring churches to help others and share God's love," Lee added.
In the meantime, protective fencing will be placed around the building to deter vandals.
Two ministries will not be affected by the fence, Lee added. The Women’s Missionary Society’s Little Winter Warmers Tree, which provides winter essentials to any passerby who needs it, as well as the church’s electronic sign, will continue to encourage passersby.
Fire crews responded to the church on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, after flames were seen at the back. The call was upgraded when it was discovered smoke had filled the building.
Barrie police say the blaze was deliberately set around 10 p.m., Feb. 19. The fire damaged a portion of the building's library, located in the rear of the church at 47 Owen St.
Lance Freeman, 37, of no fixed address, has been charged with three counts of arson and failure to comply with probation order. None of the allegations have been tested in court.
The church says its Christian education wing, which dates back to the First World War, was gutted by the blaze, with walls torn back to the brick and interior studs. Clean-up after the $2.5-million fire also had to include asbestos removal.
Asbestos was used in the 1920s addition, known as Memorial Hall and as the Christian Education wing, and in tiles in the basement kitchen, located under the sanctuary, the church says.
Following the alleged arson, church officials have explored three options after settling its insurance payout of $1,157,266.
Those include returning the entire structure to its pre-fire condition, which came with an estimated cost of around $1.25 million based on the lower bidder.
The second option is a partial rebuild of the facility, including the gathering hall, stairwell and kitchen for about $800,000 using insurance money, with the remaining approximately $350,000 put into a residual building fund.
The third option is to invest the insurance settlement and look for alternate means for providing for the building's needs while also getting value out of the land. This includes storage fees, securing and monitoring the site for about $30,000 plus $78,000 in annual costs.
“When one looks at the facts, we really can’t afford (to rebuild what we had),” Gord Thompson, the church's board of managers chairman, said in the release. “We will have other costs. Because the building did not meet all the Building Code requirements before the fire, we will have those (costs) as well. Places that weren’t damaged by fire need to be fixed.”
Other Building Code improvements, estimated at just over $100,000, are also required to bring the 1883 sanctuary up to today’s occupancy standards.
St. Andrew's says it owns just under one acre of "prime development" land at the corner of Owen and Worsley streets. The property includes several apartments and a former convenience store.
Possible alternatives under this scenario included arranging a land swap with a developer, arranging a joint-use agreement with nearby Collier St. United Church, and buying land on the outskirts of the city and building a new 10,000-square-foot facility.
Demolition costs at the downtown church have been pegged at around $500,000.
Other development happening in the area has also raised concerns. Adding to the costs regarding the uncertainty of the church buildings is nearby pile-driving that has occurred as highrise developments have been built nearby in Barrie’s downtown, where the church says soils are sandy.
If the congregation opted to preserve the sanctuary and demolish the 1920s addition, "helical piles" would need to be put under the sanctuary’s foundation to stabilize it, particularly as construction in the city core continues, Thompson added.
While the local church community dates back to 1843, initially the Presbyterians met in the Wesleyan Methodist chapel (now Collier Street United), then in a church located on the north side of Collier Street at Clapperton Street, west of Trinity Anglican.
The current sanctuary officially opened in February 1883. It has been used not just for worship, but for community fundraisers and musical events. Its basement was where Barrie’s Out of the Cold program began and a soup kitchen served many meals to those struggling with food security. Its gathering hall and library were home to several support groups, including Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, as well as Guiding and Scouting groups and an art guild.
