The Asbury Church Project
The Asbury Church Project started in May 2024 when there was a structural failure within some of the support beams in the center of the building. It took some amount of time to understand the amount of damage sustained as well as the scope of the renovation works necessary to stabilize the building but also to create usable space going forward.
Phase 1
Understanding Scope of Project
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Phase 2
Demolition and Reassessing Scope
Asbury Work Postponed
Here’s an update from Bill McGough and Doug Stevenson on the status of the repair work at Asbury:
First, we want to thank you all for the suggestions, ideas and especially for your volunteer support!! This is very encouraging but also not surprising – Brownsburg area residents have a long history of stepping up! Unfortunately, however, we need to delay a bit (until October 1st) to allow officials from the United Methodist Church an opportunity to review and assess the damage. Once this is completed, we intend to commerce work. The good news is that we have the materials, tools, and qualified volunteers to tackle Step 1, which is a small discovery phase. This will allow us to develop the scope of work, cost estimate, and general work plan. Thanks for your patience and we look forward to ramping things up as soon as possible.
Asbury Progress Report
Work is progressing to assess the damage at Asbury United Methodist Church, and to develop a plan to make the necessary repairs. A dumpster was delivered on Monday, and removal of the downstairs ceiling began. Bill McGough organized a small work crew consisting of himself, Bill McGough, Jr., Don Sachey, Jeff Shingleton, and Doug Stevenson. Michael Papit also stopped by to offer his perspective as an architect, and local contractor JR Rife dropped in to offer support. So far, with about ¾ of the ceiling removed, the news is good; the damage appears to be repairable. A temporary beam is in place at the point of failure, and a water leak into the basement has been identified. The next steps will be to secure a building permit; identify a licensed electrician and an HVAC specialist; confirm insurance is up to date; develop an action plan and cost estimate; and address financial needs. Here are a few pictures from the first couple of days.
Phase 3
Rebuild and Reposition
Asbury Progress Report
Bill McGough and his crew report that major demolition has been completed and they have identified the primary structural defects, e.g. main ceiling beam, upright support posts and a few other miscellaneous areas. The next steps include (1) obtaining a building permit; (2) procuring initial supplies for Phase 2 (building several internal walls; patching some concrete; building 5-6 new concrete footers; leveling the ceiling/upstairs floor; and installing new posts and performing rough-in for electrical, plumbing and mechanical); (3) and initiating fundraising efforts.
How Can the Community Help?
1. Personally support the fundraising efforts – Strong overall community support will help make Asbury’s repairs and renovation a reality. Bill McGough and Paul Hahn have been working on grant proposals, and a Fundraising Committee is brainstorming. In the meantime, you can make a donation to the Asbury Building Fund by mailing a check to P.O. Box 3, Brownsburg, VA 24415.
2. Provide a temporary on-site storage solution – This could be a box truck, a storage unit, or similar. This will help greatly with clearing out the basement area of several pews, kitchen supplies, a number of folding chairs, and various other miscellaneous items. Commercial options (PODS.com, Packrats) and the local storage providers either do not serve our area or no longer provide this service. If anyone has a viable option, please text or call Bill McGough at (540) 460-7919 or JR Rife at (540) 460-1115
3. Volunteer to help with ‘fine-cleaning' the basement – Two or three volunteers are needed to pull nails out of all beams; remove old knob & tube wiring; clean remnants of demo (small particles of wood, sheetrock, etc.); ready the area for building new walls; patch concrete; etc. None of this requires heavy lifting but the additional support will help the team move to the building phase more smoothly. This work is on-going now. For anyone interested, please text or call Bill McGough.
Phase 4
Fundraising and the Future of the Church
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