PAINT TWP., Pa. (EYT) — A flurry of activity has begun on the north side of river hill as the Shippenville congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses prepare for the construction of their new Kingdom Hall.
The congregation was granted land development approval by Clarion County on August 16, 2017, for the property located at 11077 U.S. 322 in Paint Township, home of their previous Kingdom Hall building since 1982. On December 4, 2017, a construction permit was granted by Bureau Veritas North America, Inc.
According to Jon McGurn, of JW Congregation Support, Inc., the congregation was originally investigating the possibility of renovating the existing building but chose to replace it due to a concern about current safety standards.
Shippenville Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall, prior to demolition. Photo courtesy of Jon McGurn.
“Safety is a paramount concern,” McGurn said. “So, being beyond that massive pond and up the hill didn’t meet some of the new criteria. The new location will be completely ADA compliant for about the same amount of money, maybe a little more. It seemed like a wiser use of funds.”
The new structure will sit on the western side of the property, closer to U.S. 322, rather than on the north side of the property where the previous hall stood.
Cleared area where the Kingdom Hall previously stood.
The structure itself will be slightly smaller than the previous building at around 2,835 square feet, but McGurn said the building design will be far more efficient, seating up to 130 at any given time.
McGurn also said the building is planned to be “aesthetically pleasing to the area” and noted that if the congregation sees a great influx of members in the future, they will incorporate more meeting times rather than consider expanding the structure.
One of the major upgrades to the property will an improved stormwater system, designed to better handle the volume of water where several of the other surrounding properties stormwater systems connect.
There will be changes made to the hall’s parking area, as well, with a new asphalt parking lot planned, which McGurn said will be better laid out than the former parking area.
One particularly interesting thing about the project is that all of the work is being done by volunteers.
“We will be paying a contractor to do the paving, but everything else, from start to finish, will all be handled on a volunteer basis by members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses,” McGurn said.
“We try to keep a local radius, to have those friends be able to participate if they so desire, but then, as the need arises, sometimes we expand the search and go out a little bit wider (for volunteers). But, even the local companies, the local vendors, have been extremely supportive.”
