Stone church roof secure
Soldiers complete several projects in Cape Breton
The military came to the rescue and now the roof of the former St. Alphonsus church is secure.
The new roof is 95 per cent complete on the stone structure in Victoria Mines.
“Due to the work done here we can confidently say it will last the winter until we return in the spring to do some minor touch up,” said Capt. Jamie Tobin with the 4 Engineer Support Regiment from Gagetown, N.B.
The soldiers were in Cape Breton as part of a military engineering training event, Exercise NIHLO SAPPER, which was conducted in various locations throughout Cape Breton from Nov. 1-20.
Melanie Sampson, chair of the Stone Church Restoration Society, said the roof was in bad shape.
“I was told in one section there was only tar and shingles holding it together,” she said. “The first heavy snowfall (the roof) would have been gone. We can’t thank the Canadian military enough.”
Sampson said the story has come full circle as the stone church was home to soldiers during the two world wars and this month soldiers helped save the structure.
Although the troops have left Cape Breton, Tobin said four soldiers have stayed behind.
“This team is actually sticking around to ensure the roof is done to the best standard that we can,” he said. “They are going to do some finishing touches.”
Tobin said the roof was one of many projects soldiers completed while in Cape Breton — they built a bridge on Warren Lake trail in the Cape Breton Highlands, cleared a trail at the Louisbourg National Historic Site, did explosives training near Marion Bridge and conducted dive training, built a bridge and completed renovations at the Canadian Coast Guard College.
The soldiers who worked on the church were given Christmas ornaments and key chains of the stone church as a reminder of their work.
Sampson said now the society is seeking the public’s help to pay for the $14,000 in materials needed for the roof. Donations can be made directly to Gillis’s Home Building Centre in Sydney or contact Sampson at cbstonechurch@ hotmail.com or telephone, 902371-1946.
“We will be starting another phase of the restoration after the roof has been paid for.”
The Stone Church Restoration Society purchased the former church from the Diocese of Antigonish in September 2015 for $40,000 and recently signed a purchase and sale agreement. They continue to wait for the deed.
“This team is actually sticking around to ensure the roof is done to the best standard that we can. They are going to do some finishing touches.” Capt. Jamie Tobin, 4 Engineer Support Regiment