Fate of church enters council discussion

What to do with an old stone church?

The old stone community church in Coulee Dam is vacant and needs a new tenant.

The subject came up at the Coulee Dam Town Council meeting last Wednesday night when Councilmember David Schmidt stated his regrets that the church had closed and commented that there should be some public response in support for the church.

Councilmember Ben Alling responded that he would like to see it used for a convention center, using hotel/motel tax funds to accomplish that.

Schmidt said he hadn’t meant to suggest that the town should own another building, but that the public should take an interest in its future.

The idea bounced around briefly and found fertile ground, but no follow-up plan was proposed.

Jerry Kennedy, a member of the church and of the committee that hopes to find a new owner for the church, said the regional Presbytery that owns it is open to any offers. He stated that it was hoped that another church group might become interested in the church. However, he stated, the group that will make the decision on the sale would look at any valid offer.

The stone church was closed for worship in late December.

Kennedy represents the local congregation on the committee.

Anyone interested in the purchase of the church should contact Kennedy.

“We would be open to discuss the sale with anyone interested,” Kennedy stated last week.

The present church was finished in 1955, and it is said that there are 20,000 stones in the structure.

Kennedy stated that the church is in need of a new roof, and the cost of that could be as high as $100,000.