CDC seeks funding to restore historic St. Luke's Chapel
The Guernsey Community Development Corp (CDC) is asking the community for financial help to restore the historic St. Luke's Chapel located on the campus of the Cambridge State Hospital, formerly the Fletcher General Hospital and a World War II POW camp.
The CDC started working three years ago on the obtaining ownership of the Chapel from the State of Ohio, which had it slated for demolition. At that time, according to CDC Executive Director Ron Gombeda, the chapel was in pretty good shape.
But between that time and when the CDC acquired the building earlier this year for $1, the roof began to leak and birds got into the building leaving a mess, Gombeda said.
Now the CDC is looking to repair and rehabilitate the chapel as much as possible.
Gombeda is still work to get estimates, but based off work they have done in the past and cost of materials, he is estimating between $35,000 and $55,000 will be needed. He hopes it more on the lower end, but that will depend on the cost to fix or replace the roof.
"Overall structurally the building is really good. It's a solid build," Gombeda said. "What we are looking at right more than likely we are going to have to replace the roof. We need to some electrical work, some plumbing work and a lot of clean up. That's the biggest thing is a lot of clean up."
Potential plans for the chapel include turning it into a community building for meetings and wedding venue, as a way to give something back to the community, Gombeda said.
There are also plans to turn the prayer room located just inside the chapel doors into a memorial for area veterans who served during active war times. Veterans names would be on plaques placed on the walls. Long-term plans could include putting trails near the railroad bed so people for hiking.
It's a worthwhile project, Gombeda said. "It meets a lot of different needs in the area, but, more importantly, its about preserving a local piece of history."
During World War II, trains would transport injured soldiers and prisoners of war to the hospital, Gombeda said.
When donations start coming in, Gombeda will post videos on the CDC's Facebook page to keep the community updated on the progress.
Donations can be sent and made payable to the CDC at P.O. Box 1175 Cambridge, Ohio 43275, dropped off in person at the CDC office at 905 Wheeling Ave., or online at www.guernseycdc.com. For additional information, contact the CDC at 740-439-0020
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: CDC seeks funding to restore historic St. Luke's Chapel
