Warden's Corner #4
Do you have a question you would like answered about St Catherine’s or is there an issue or a comment you would like to see discussed?
The Wardens have a Q & A section in the Friday notices to answer questions so that everyone has the same information. We encourage you to call or email:
Robb (robertdwatt@hotmail.com) or 604 980 5012
Linda (lindakrobertson@shaw.ca) or 604 375 2272
Chris (cjwensley@gmail.com) or 778 323 5706
with your questions and if we think that others would benefit from hearing your question answered, we will put it into the Friday notices. We will always respond to your question, of course, even if it does not go into the Friday email notices.
So please – send us any questions, comments or suggestions and we will post them anonymously in our Friday notices. All questions will be posted on our website under News: View Wardens Corner on Website News
- Chairs Arriving
- Gym use on Saturdays
- Memorial Service Days
- Removal of Pews and use of Pew Wood (Below)
Q: What is happening with the arrival of the new chairs and the removal of the pews?
A: We have an update on the arrival of the new chairs and they will not be arriving mid-August as we anticipated as there are shipping delays. We are anticipating their arrival between September 25th and October 4th, 2022.
Since we last posted about the new chairs, the Wardens and Rev Sharon have met with a company, WeSimplify, to discuss taking on the project of removing the pews, repairing the floor in the Church Nave, miling the wood and refurbishing the chapel floor.
Nick, and his team from WeSimplify, took apart the pew that was in the narthex to see how much time it would take. Not surprisingly, as they are being careful with the wood and not just banging it apart with a mallet – it took an hour. As this company has done this work before, we have decided to proceed with them as they know what they are doing. We will also be hiring them to repair the church floor, once the pews are removed.
In order to have the wood ready to be re-purposed, it is more cost effective to have it milled (cut into planks) on site. WeSimplify who is dismantling the pews, can also mill the wood for us at the church without the need to transport it off-site which would add to the cost.
We will also need to refinish the nave floor which will take at least a week after the pews are removed. The floors must be left to “cure” for five days after the floors are refinished.
WeSimplify are able to do this work for us as well.
Q: How will the pew wood be re-used?
A: Some parishioners have suggested different uses for the wood such as making chairs or offering it to First Nations’ carvers. As fir wood is soft it may not be good for carving, so this needs further investigation. We also looked into having some wood made into chairs, but the cost was quite high to have custom-made furniture. There may, of course be some less expensive furniture makers.
Another option is to use the wood in the floor in the chapel on top of the vinyl floor covering there now. We are told that flooring made of fir is not suitable for high-traffic areas such as in the nave but works well in homes. As the chapel is going to be used primarily for small church gatherings where there will not be a lot of traffic, this will be a good use for the pew wood. Parish Council voted in favour of this option.
The sanctuary rail in the chapel is made from wood from the first St Catherine’s building before our current building was built. If we used the pew wood for a new chapel floor, it would enhance the chapel as a sacred space and keep the wood which has supported us for all these years as an integral part of our church structure.
The timeline for August, September and October 2022 is above as an image.