A local contracting company has been working to set things straight at Grace Episcopal Church.

The roof of the church at 308 W. Second St. was damaged on April 4 when a tornado touched down in Defiance and also damaged some homes, several businesses and other buildings, as well as St. Mary Catholic Church.

At Grace Episcopal Church, the high winds lifted the roof on the southeast side of the building and dropped it back down off center from where it should have been, leaving a gap wide enough that light could be seen between it and the wall of the structure.

Throughout the winds and damage, church member Cathy Mikula noted that the cross atop the church wasn’t disturbed.

The church covered the southeast corner of the roof area with a tarp while the damage was assessed by a structural firm and the insurance company until the actual restoration work began recently.

Also, following the tornado, braces were installed on the front of the building to support the integrity of the structure while the damage was being assessed.

Too, everything inside where the work was being done was covered with plastic and the pipe organ was removed.

According to Mikula and Roger Schatz, building and grounds administrator for the church, plans were to remove the pipe organ so it could be restored. But the organ wasn’t set to be moved until a week after the storms and tornado hit, so it was still in the building when the damage occurred.

Prior to beginning the project on Aug. 22, former Napoleon resident Bill Meyers, owner of the Napoleon contracting company W.R. Meyers Equipment and Supply, explained how he planned to correct the problem by “raising the roof.”

He said the plan was to use “jacks and hydraulic systems to lift up the roof (at the southeast side) and then let it down gently in place,” with the focus on the area from the peak to the southeast corner where the gap was located.

He and his team accomplished that on Aug. 22, though the work progressed slowly.

Now, according to Meyers, they have additional work to finish at the church, including reconstructing a segment of the wall on the east side and making some other repairs with plaster. He said the target for completion is mid-September.

He also explained that there was a lot of preparation, measuring and calculations run by a structural firm and other background work done before he could actually raise the roof, set it down and bolt it in place on Aug. 22.

Meyers said they were three months into the project before they started to get answers about whether they could save the church. The wind was able to lift the roof because when the church and other churches and buildings were constructed, the builders didn’t figure the uplift of the wind into their calculations.

To correct this, Meyers and his team attached purlin ties around the walls inside the church. Purlin ties are heavy metal connecting pieces that are used to fasten roof purlins to exterior walls. He said an engineering firm built the parts and tested them.

The building was also outfitted with cabling and straps, and jacks set in precise locations to lift the roof from the inside of the church.

Meyers, who resides in Maui, Hawaii, has worked at the church before and knows its history. He said the structural problems with the church affecting its foundation actually began as far back as 1933 when blasting for the East Second Street bridge was ongoing. Since then he has worked at the church several times.

“It’s a pleasure to come back,” he said. “The congregation is wonderful. I appreciate their kindness and support,” adding that “the church has a unique beauty and is a warm place.”

Grace Episcopal wasn’t the only Defiance church damaged on April 4.

The damage to St. Mary Catholic Church at 715 Jefferson Ave. was enough to relocate its masses held in the sanctuary to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church and weekend masses to Holy Cross Catholic School Chapel until repairs are made.

No other information has been made available by the church about the damage and repair.

Read Full Article