GREENFIELD — All Souls Church will remain closed until an asbestos contamination in its basement is remediated, and the church has begun a fundraising campaign to raise the estimated $17,000 necessary for the project.
Since the contamination was discovered Aug. 6, the church, located at 399 Main St., has held services and programs elsewhere. However, formal Sunday services have been suspended until the church can be occupied again.
Kirsten Levitt, executive chef and director of the church’s Stone Soup Café, said renovation work was being done when the asbestos was found.
“Acting with good intentions, a group of volunteers tried to renovate a small classroom in the basement, which had been damaged by water and mold. Typically this type of work does not require a permit, as confirmed by Greenfield’s Building Inspector (Mark Snow),” according to an All Souls Church press release. “Unbeknownst to the volunteers, a few materials undergoing removal contained asbestos. During demolition, the contaminant was released into the building’s basement.”
The building was inspected by the Greenfield Building and Health departments and found to be unsafe to occupy because of the contamination. Snow said a stop work order was issued that day as well.
Signs on the doors advise that people “do not enter or occupy.”
“Initially the Fire Department responded on scene because the fire alarm system was activated,” Snow said. “During an investigation of fire alarm, renovation work was going on and firefighters didn’t see a permit. I went down, investigated the matter and, as a result, found there was a high probability of asbestos and no building permit. It was also found that the individual was not licensed. The individual was using saws and tools, which created smoke and dust that set off the fire alarm.”
Typically, it is the work area that has to be abated, not the whole building, Snow said.
All Souls will need to get a licensed contractor on board for the remainder of the work and the building department is waiting for a report about the air quality in the building, Snow said.
The All Souls board of trustees “immediately acted to meet and comply with the requirements of state and local governments, but meeting those requirements takes time and money, more than the congregation had ever anticipated,” the press release states.
All Souls has contracted with specialists, as required by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), to create a plan to remediate the asbestos.
The latest information from the contractors and state is that there will be approved plan for remediation by Sept. 20. Then the remediation service will be allowed to clean the contaminated spaces and ensure that all is safe for the public to occupy.
“Although some asbestos-containing material was identified and properly abated, additional asbestos containing material was identified,” said Catherine Skiba, service center manager with the state DEP’s Western Regional Office, in August. “MassDEP is working with the church and their contractor to ensure work will be completed properly.”
The church serves as a meeting place for Wednesday evening AA groups, including the original AA group that has met in the parish hall for more than 80 years.
“The church also hosts many community events such as its anti-racism film festival, social justice workshops, Greening Greenfield presentations and workshops, recitals for local music schools, concerts and fundraising events for many community organizations, and the Stone Soup Café, which serves more than 100 people and up to 200 meals every week on a pay-what-you-can basis every Saturday,” according to the press release.
Stone Soup Café is currently operating at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center, serving a locally-sourced meal each Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. It will remain at 289 Main St. until it is allowed to return to All Souls.
All Souls Church was able to hold its informal summer gatherings at Hawks & Reed as well as the Franklin Community Co-op’s meeting space at 170 Main St. However, the church is not able to hold its more formal Sunday services in those spaces and is waiting to resume them when the building reopens.
The campaign is through “Faithify” a crowdsourcing fundraising platform managed by the Unitarian Universalist Association. The link is bit.ly/2lGzbVW. More than $1,800 had been raised as of Thursday evening.
Donations can also be mailed to All Souls Church, P.O. Box 542, Greenfield, MA 01302.