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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-07-15, Page 66 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, July 15, 2015 Plans underway for St. Joseph's Church Reopening announced Steph Smith Postmedia Network Receiving formal owner- ship of their community church is a bittersweet vic- tory for the members of St. Joseph's Kingsbridge Com- munity (SJKC) after a long two and a half years. Built in 1903, St. Joseph's Church has been the home to several generations and families living in and around Kingsbridge for more than 100 years. That was up until the Diocese of London gave the congregation notice in 2012 that the church was slated for demolition and would closing indefinitely that October in order to facil- itate these plans. This announcement came only a few years after the church had been set to close, but the youth group held a large public rally, causing the diocese to reverse the decision. The final decision this time stemmed from the high cost of bringing the building up to fire and elec- trical code. In a last ditch effort to once again save their church from its fate, the SJKC was formed with the goal to "pre- serve and foster the Kings- bridge community." The group and the congregation began to focus themselves on gaining ownership of the building so that it could con- tinue to be a "community hub." After some negotiation, the diocese agreed to sell the church and the rectory to the SJKC for $1, while the ceme- tery and grotto would be sev- ered. At that time, the SJKC was given interim posses- sion in order to start renova- tions that would allow them to once again open the buildings to the public. Full ownership was granted on June 26, 2015. "I think the right word is euphoria," said Jennifer Miltenburg, media spokes- person for the SJKC, regard- ing their success. "Joy, for sure, and peace." According to Bridget Van Osch, a member of SJKC, the support for their project has been overwhelming. "The bonus is that we are attracting more people," Van Osch said. "They're coming out to our events and we're reaching out to a much broader community than when it [St. Joseph's] was just a church." When the SJKC received interim possession of the buildings, they were able to begin renovations to convert the church into a commu- nity space. To date, they have been successful in fundrais- ing to cover the $180,000 price tag that comes with resurrecting the church in order to reopen it to the pub- lic. The renovations will take place in three phases: Phase 1: In order to open the building, they are cur- rently working on weather- proofing the windows and bricks. They are also clean- ing, painting and bringing the electricity up to code. Phase 2: Includes updat- ing the basement, kitchen and other areas, allowing for everyone to use the building K2 Wind Power Project Community Liaison Committee Wednesday, July 22, 2015 6:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m. K2 Wind Operations Building - 84655 Tower Line Rd, Lucknow Ontario NOG 2H0 Open to the General Public for Viewing About the CLC A Community Liaison Committee ("CLC") has been established as a forum to exchange ideas, share information and provide regular updates regarding construction, installation, use, operation, maintenance and retirement of the K2 Wind Power Project ("the Project"). The 270 megawatt wind Project received its Renewable Energy Approval in July 2013. All meeting materials (minutes, presentations, reports, etc.) will be made available for public review on the Project website at www.K2Wind.ca. The agenda for the meeting will be posted on the Project website at least one week in advance. The CLC meeting is open to the general public for observation. For more information on the CLC please contact the K2 Wind Project: Krista Walkey, Krista.Walkey@stantec.com; Phone (519) 575-4133 For questions or requests for additional information not pertaining to the CLC, please contact the K2 Wind Power Project Team at: E-mail: info@K2Wind.ca Telephone: 519-529-7455 About the Project K2 Wind Ontario is a partnership between Samsung Renewable Energy, Inc. (Samsung), Pattern Energy Group Inc. (Pattern Energy) and Capital Power LP (Capital Power). ■ K2 Wind has the capacity to generate 270 megawatts of renewable electricity from 140 Siemens model SWT -2.3 wind turbines. Operations commenced in May 2015. • More information about the Project is available at www.K2wind.ca K2 WIND C VTAfID in its entirety. Phase 3: Making the build- ing accessible for all. "The church and our pro- ject really aren't hard to talk about when you feel so pas- sionate about it," Miltenburg said. "For the last two and a half years we haven't had a place to call home, and now we do:' While masses will no longer be taking place at St. Joseph's, plans for the space include rental for events such as wed- dings, family gatherings and meetings, as well as use as an exhibit space for local artists, to name a few. There is also hope that it will serve as a repository for local history, as many pho- tos and artifacts from the par- ish and the former St. Joseph's School are already in storage at the church. "We want to preserve the history of not only the church, but the community as well;' Van Osch said. "We want to have archives and collections of the parish and the commu- nity on display for all" A grand reopening celebra- tion is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 22 at St. Joseph's Church Photos by Steph Smith Postmedia Network The St. Joseph's Church in Kingsbridge will once again be a home to the community and surrounding area with the St. Joseph's Kingsbridge Community organization gaining full ownership of the buildings on June 26. Their plans are to restore both the church and the rectory in order to reopen them to the public. Kingsbridge and will include a small program with social time and refreshments. "Our main message is the invitation," Miltenburg said. "We're preserving a histori- cal building and we have a community hub. We would like to invite people to help us revitalize rural Ontario; we'd like them to come share their time, talents and treas- ures, or just come join us to share the vision, share the dream and come home to the country." To learn more about the SJKC, the buildings and rent- als, or to keep up to date on renovations and upcoming events, visit www.stjosephsk- ingsbridge.com or the St. Joseph's Kingsbridge Com- munity Facebook page. For more information, contact Jim Van Osch at 519-529-1051. Minecraft coming to the Ripley and Lucknow Libraries Grant Robertson Branch Supervisor The Bruce County Public Library recently acquired a set of linked laptops loaded with the game Minecraft. Minecraft is one of the most popular video games in the world and if you have never heard of it, ask your kids, or grandkids and we can guarantee they have. Mincecraft allows players to work together to build an imaginary world, and to face the inevitable problems the game throws at you for fun. Minecraft is a game about placing blocks to build anything you can imagine. At night monsters come out. The Ripley program will be running on July 22 at 3 pm and the Lucknow program will be the following day on July 23 at 6:30 pm. Because space is limited please pre - register by calling 519 395- 5901 for Ripley and 519 528- 3011 for Lucknow. Anyone is welcome to come, but prior- ity will be given to those who pre -register. All attendees will be entered into a draw for a Creeper prize pack. k'rtiziK,iwaKH .Cinras Chad Mann 519-357-3015 www.kruzinmannlimos.com A Division of Lloyd Collins Construction Ltd. ..rv....gats. The Lucknow Sentinel Birthday Club Daija Haldenby July l 8, 2003 12 years old Reed Dewar July l 8, 2008 7 years old • Your child can be a member of the Sentinel's birthday club call 519-528-2822 to register * . L nnm Santini 619 Campbell Street 519-528-2822 jniimiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii and we can guarantee they have. Mincecraft allows players to work together to build an imaginary world, and to face the inevitable problems the game throws at you for fun. Minecraft is a game about placing blocks to build anything you can imagine. At night monsters come out. The Ripley program will be running on July 22 at 3 pm and the Lucknow program will be the following day on July 23 at 6:30 pm. Because space is limited please pre - register by calling 519 395- 5901 for Ripley and 519 528- 3011 for Lucknow. Anyone is welcome to come, but prior- ity will be given to those who pre -register. All attendees will be entered into a draw for a Creeper prize pack. k'rtiziK,iwaKH .Cinras Chad Mann 519-357-3015 www.kruzinmannlimos.com A Division of Lloyd Collins Construction Ltd.