Renovation Update for July 2008

Update: Pews in the Chapel of Peace

The pews are dry! Our maintenance men put them in the Chapel of Peace. For the present, they are in the place of the previous chairs. The photo on the right shows the chapel with chairs only.

The photo below is a current photo showing the pews and a few leftover chairs.

Choir Loft Scaffolding in progress

The Choir Loft sat for several weeks as the last unpainted section of the Cathedral. This week it is getting lots of attention from construction workers who are building scaffolding all the way to the ceiling. It may not be quite as imposing as the scaffolding in the apse, but it will make life different for our Choir.

It should not take long for our painters to finish their work. We should see a completely finished paint job in less than a month. [Note: The stenciling of the apse walls remains too.]

Update: The Pews from Plunkettville are Refinished

John, Peter and Dave are applying varnish to the sixteen pews from Saint Henry Church in Plunkettville. The pews are drying now. The guys will move them into the Chapel of Peace. There is a good chance that the folks who attend Mass here next Monday may get to use them.

Next week, the men will begin work on the kneelers.

New Copper meets Aged Copper

Roofers are using a taller crane to install the copper roof. The previous shorter crane did not reach high enough to cover the metal decking. In the photo above, the newest copper shines brightly in the sun.

Roof Work begins again

After a brief hiatus, our roofers are back on the job. The first priority is to finish installing the copper roof on the first small spire. The mobile cranes are too short to reach the top of the spire if their wheels are on Boulder Avenue, so they must move the crane closer to the Cathedral. A Bobcat is placing metal plates over the sidewalk to protect it from the weight of the crane.




The decorative Romanesque arch over the sidewalk between the church and school will be removed - temporarily! We will remove a section of the cinder-block wall protecting the air conditioners too. The crane will have to use that space to get close to the building.





More updates will come as we make progress. If you have any special requests for more information about a specific part of the renovation, send Mike Malcom an email: mikemalcom@gmail.com.

Update: Sound System Calibrated & Completed

Mr. Wade Worley, our acoustical consultant from Houston, Texas, spent a day in the Cathedral tweaking the sound system. This is the final stage of our contract with him.

Mr. Worley began working with us in June of 2007. He measured the acoustic properties of the Cathedral, tested a smaller version of our present sound system, then helped Monsignor Gier choose a local installer. Mr. Tidmore, a parishioner and owner of Quantum Electric, ran conduit throughout the Cathedral in anticipation of the thousands of feet of wires to be installed. Ford Audio of Tulsa installed the speakers and electronics in December of 2007. Ford worked for the next several months installing speakers in the vestibules, antennae near the front doors, and running audio and video to the basement.

This week, Mr. Worley adjusted the sound for maximum intelligibility. He also discussed options for parishioners with hearling loss. If you know someone who might want to try our equipment, please share the following information. Here is the equipment we have:




These units receive the wireless signal and amplify it. There is a volume knob on the top of the receiver for easy adjustment.









This is the first of four headphones options. These headphones plug into the receiver units (above). They fit over one's head.








The second type of headphones is designed for women. These headphones have not arrived yet, so there is no photo. The headphones rests on the back of the neck and have speakers that extend upwards towards one's ears. The manufacturer says that these are designed for women who do not wish to have their hair disturbed.



The third type has no built-in speakers of its own. Parishioners with induction coils in their hearing aids may choose this option. The loop is worn like a necklace. It connects to the induction coils and provides very good sound quality.






The fourth option is to bring your own earphones. Some parishioners prefer to avoid the larger headphones at the Cathedral. They are free to bring any type of headphones or earbuds they wish. Most earbuds should work fairly well, but the Cathedral cannot guarantee that all will.


If you have any questions about the Cathedral's assistive hearing technology, please talk to an usher or contact Mike Malcom at the Parish Office.