The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

The Zion Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod is undertaking a major remodel and upgrade to its 103-year old building at the corner of 8th Street and Illinois in Chinook. In the fall of 1963 the entire building was jacked up and the basement was redone. There was another major remodel, on both the building and the basement, from 1989-1993.

The current project involves a new roof, removal of the brick chimney, reconditioning of the bell tower, replacing the heating system and addition of central air, a 200-square foot addition to enlarge the fellowship area and a new handicap ramp and bathroom. The entire structure will be sided in steel with a partial brick fascia.

At the job site things were bustling last week. The work is being done by Circle T Construction, LLC, out of Big Timber. Circle T is a fairly small outfit and its owner, Colter Todd, is what might be described as a 'working boss/owner.' When I arrived he was unloading lumber, trotting over to adjust the man lift for the part of his crew on the roof and getting ready to visit with me.

Asked how things were going, Colter Todd said, "Slowly." He pointed the crew working on removing the existing roofing and explained, "They are dealing with four layers of roofing material-a layer of cedar shakes, two layers of asphalt shingles and a metal layer added in 2002. Old roofs take time to remove." Where the old roofing was totally removed there was exposed original decking. Todd said, "You can tell the decking is original because the boards vary in width. Back in the day workmen used whatever boards were at hand to deck a roof. We'll sheath all the old decking with new plywood."

I was curious about the bell tower because I see so many bells now removed and sitting on monuments on the ground in front of churches of this era. Todd said, "We are sometime away from really getting into the bell tower to see what needs to be fixed. It's the desire of the congregation to keep the bell in the tower and usable if at all possible."

Despite some of the major remodeling projects on the Zion church, Todd said the crews are trying to avoid any intrusions to the interior of the main sanctuary. He explained there is a lot of complicated wood and metal work in the auditorium that should not be disturbed if at all possible.

The new addition will go on the north side of the church, along 8th Street. An existing 'room' that extends north will be added to in a westerly direction. That will necessitate moving one of the stained-glass windows on the north side of the auditorium. How that will all work, according to Todd, is still being studied by the architect. The stained-glass windows are currently boarded up to protect them. Todd did say there would be some work done on the windows behind some of the stained glass.

I asked Todd how he ended up with this project. He laughed and said, "There seems to be a niche I fill in the remodeling business-jobs that are either too small for really big outfits or jobs that no one else wants. On this one the congregation found me, they must have known someone who knew of my work." He said he had done work on churches before, but never of this magnitude.

He said he did like doing projects in smaller towns. He added, "I like to buy my materials and supplies locally when I can. I enjoy learning about an area and doing things while I'm staying at a job location." He's already played golf at the Chinook golf course and said he was looking forward to doing some fishing, which he had heard was very good in this area. He added, "Another thing I like about working in a small town is the people are interested in what our crew is doing. You're here for the paper, we're news, small towns want to know what's going on!"

Despite a slight pause in getting the project going, work seems to be 'full on' at this point. The reason for the delay at the beginning was the Todds awaiting the arrival of their first baby. Colter Todd was proud to announce, "Both baby Tinley Jameson and her mom are doing well in Big Timber. And I'm enjoying being here in Chinook."