Church front expansion

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For those of you who regularly use the front steps on Second Street you know they are not the easiest to maneuver. The guardrails help and hinder, the last step into church is taller than the rest and getting the door open while balancing on the steps can be challenging. I regularly see people struggle with the steps and many fall or trip. My normal prayer at the beginning of any funeral is that they get the body into church without any problems. With all this in mind I went to Tim Skinner, local architect to see what he could design for the front of church to help us with the steps. We talked about a ramp that people could walk up and would be wide enough for a casket. We also talked about something that would blend in with the church, stone and brick. We also talked about removing the steps on Ingram street that once led to a doorway and using that niche for a statue. 

Tim came up with a wonderful design that highlights the front of the church and solves many of the problems that we currently have with the steps. This project has enthusiastically been approved by the Parish Pastoral Council and the Finance Committee. We have presented  it to the Diocese for approval. The cost of the project will be approximately $350,000 and thanks to the generosity of Herman and Mary Frances Alles we have the money at hand to be able to pay for the project. 

You will notice in the picture below that we are planning on having a statue as part of the project. We are open to suggestions for what the statue should be. I have thought of a Holy Family statue since the family is at the heart of our community. If you have any suggestions for the statue, please let me know. I want to commission an artist to create a statue for the space and our community. This statue will give us the opportunity for families to invest in the project. We have not decided all the details but especially if we do a Holy Family Statue we will seek donations in the name of families to pay for the Statue.