Council discusses closure of local church

BIRDSBORO >> The Borough Council spent time at its final meeting of 2016 discussing the future of a historic church in the borough.

During the Dec. 19 meeting, a discussion began regarding the closing of Alice Focht Memorial United Methodist Church at 422 East 1st St. The church will hold its last service on Sunday, April 30, at 2 p.m. The congregation is estimated to have 110 to 120 members on its books; however, only 35 to 40 people are considered active members.

Borough council has strong concerns that the property will be sold and its contents will end up being dismantled.

“It’s probably one of the nicest sanctuaries you will see, and the building itself — in my opinion — should be designated a historical building,” said Borough Council President Steve Lusky.

According to some mem-

bers of the congregation, the church faces some serious repairs including a new heating system and steps.

Lusky started researching how to designate the building historical by the state.

“If there is something we can reasonably do, we want to do it,” Mayor Joseph Peterson said.

The first Methodist church in Birdsboro was

built in 1839 on Main Street. Construction on the current building began in 1911. It was renamed “Alice Focht Memorial United Methodist Church” in 1915 in recognition of the generosity of the Focht family toward the construction costs.

In other business, Borough Manager Aaron Durso notified council members that he sent letters to individuals with committee appointments that are up at the end of 2016. He will have the list available at the first meeting in January.

Advertisements for the appointments will appear on the borough website and sign. Council members approved the 2017 budget as advertised.

The next borough council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m.