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Churches and City to Fix East Wheeling Sidewalk
By SHELLEY HANSON INTELLIGENCER
POSTED: September 11, 2007 |
Photo by Shelley Hanson
Officials on Monday looking over a severely damaged sidewalk in East Wheeling include, from left, Bill Bryant, the Rev. Mark Seitz, Cecelia Pugh, the Rev. Gene Ostrowski, Francis Isler, Bryan Minor, Mickey French, Wheeling Councilmen Robert "Herk" Henry and Vernon Seals, and Melvin Williams. |
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WHEELING - Church of God and Saints of Christ members worshipped in the cold last winter.
But things may be different this year, if all goes as planned.
Members of the church, located at 12th and Byron streets, and of Hopeful City announced Monday that a sidewalk damaged eight years ago by water that leaked from a fire hydrant struck by a vehicle will be replaced. The work will be done thanks to an alliance between them and the city of Wheeling.
Because of the severity of the sidewalk damage, natural gas used to heat the building was shut off by the providing company for fear of damage to the gas line, church members said.
City workers are expected to prepare the site for the new sidewalk, located on the 12th Street side of the building, said Councilman Vernon Seals. The church and Hopeful City, meanwhile, already have received commitments for donations of money totalling half of the $7,000 needed for the new concrete work.
To raise the remaining funds, an A Capella Gospel Music Concert is slated to take place at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 1410 Chapline St., Wheeling. A $10 donation will be requested.
Performing during the concert will be a 50-member group consisting of the combined choirs of Church of God and Saints of Christ, along with other singers from Wheeling, Buffalo, N.Y., Cleveland and Maryland.
"We will start immediately, as we were able to collect half the money needed through the Catholic Diocese, St. Matthew's and the church here," said the Rev. Gene Ostrowski, president of Hopeful City, referring to sidewalk work.
Water from the damaged fire hydrant washed away much of the dirt underneath the large concrete slabs that once served as a sidewalk. That water also flooded the basement of the church, which was built in 1836. Church members said the damage has increased each year since the accident occurred, and even the road itself appears to be slipping. Bright orange hazard fencing surrounds the damaged area to keep people from falling on the twisted slabs or into a deep hole.
"What's wonderful about this is that groups of people in the city are coming together to work together," said Ostrowski, who also serves as pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Warwood.
For more information, call church Trustee Melvin Williams at (740) 296-1222. Contributions can also be mailed to: Church of God and Saints of Christ, 1200 Byron St., Wheeling, WV 26003.
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Nehemiah 2: 1-5
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was served him, I carried the wine and gave it to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence before. 2So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This can only be sadness of the heart." Then I was very much afraid. 3I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors' graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" 4Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5Then I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors' graves, so that I may rebuild it."
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