April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Say restoration remains on schedule
In early December, Mr. Pauli and members of the committee agreed that his contract would not be renewed. He had been on the job for a year.
The first phase of the restoration project for the 150-year-old Cathedral called for replacement of the stone facade on the north tower, and the clerestory walls of the nave and transept, and repairing the roof.
First year
Mr. Pauli, a native of Passau, Germany, was hired to lead the replacement process and to carve stone for the pinnacles. His contract with the Cathedral began in October 2000.Once the St. Bees brownstone, ordered from a quarry in England, arrived in the late spring of 2001, cutting and placement began, kicking off the actual restoration process.
The Cathedral restoration committee has told The Evangelist that three out of four significant components on the exterior will be completed by this spring. That anticipated date falls well within the committee's original timeframe for completion of Phase I.
On schedule
"Even though cutting and placement began a little late due to a delay in the arrival of the stone, we are anticipating that we will remain on schedule," said Rev. William Pape, rector of the Cathedral.A restoration committee member also indicated that the costs of Phase I remain within the original anticipated budget of $8 million, even though the cost of the brownstone was more expensive than originally anticipated.
Work on the north tower and clerestory walls was uninterrupted until the cold weather set in. Work on the north tower has recently been suspended.
Weather or not
"Even though work has temporarily stopped on the north tower as intended, work on other sections continues," said Father Pape. He further indicated that completion of the north and south clerestory walls is still targeted for the spring.Work has halted on the north tower because placement of the stone requires temperatures above freezing. Placement of stone there will resume when weather permits.
Currently, tenting has been placed on sections of both the north and south clerestory walls, where heaters maintain the required temperature for proper setting of the stone. As a result, placement there continues.
Meetings
According to Father Pape, plans for renovation of the Cathedral's interior, also part of Phase I, are also on schedule. He has joined Elizabeth Simcoe, director of the diocesan Office of Prayer and Worship, and Rev. Richard Vosko, an Albany diocesan priest who is a church designer, to offer a series of informational meetings scheduled through February at different locations throughout the Diocese.The intent of the meetings is to present an update on the restoration process, offer an opportunity for consultation on planning for the Cathedral's interior and provide liturgical education for diocesan Catholics.
Broad input
"We've undertaken this consultation process for a broad base of input," said Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, who is chairman of the restoration committee. "We have already had one of four public sessions and a session back in October with diocesan priests. Once the public sessions have been completed, the committee will review all comments that have been submitted. We will then alter our primary draft [for interior renovation] in light of the comments we have received."Once Phase I has been completed, Phase II will begin with restoration and placement of stone on the south tower, built 25 years after the north tower. Plans to replace the front facade and entrance on Eagle Street are also part of that phase. Phase III will address replacement of the stone facade on the north and south lower walls.
According to Father Pape, Mr. Pauli, whose contract expired in October, "gave us a good foundation; and because of him, the project is off to a good start. He was a conscientious craftsman and artisan. His contract ended amicably, and I have no complaints with the work he did at the Cathedral."
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