Church demolition nears completion

It’s a long way from the green space it will become, but the process of tearing down the shuttered First Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Cedar Grove is nearly finished. The Cedar Grove-Belgium School District bought the building and two-acre parcel in 2023 and considered multiple options for the 100-year-old facility, including housing the Rocket Academy, the district’s public charter school that focuses on skilled trades training for juniors and seniors. District Buildings and Grounds Director Ben Lukens said some of the material has been salvaged. “The small stained glass windows, pews and much of the interior doors and trim went to Crescent Moon Antiques & Salvage out of Mayville. We received $3,100 for them to come in and salvage as much as possible,” he said. The large stained-glass windows went to Staige Stained Glass Restoration of Onalaska, and Lukens said he was told they will be installed in a chapel in Princeton. The Verkuijlen Organ Co. of Ohio took the organ and expects to install it in Church of Savior in Cleveland Heights, Lukens said. Lukens Excavating of Cedar Grove is doing the demolition for $135,000, the lowest of three bids received for the work. Other bids came in at $150,000 and $290,000. Robinson Bros. Environmental of Waunakee is doing the asbestos abatement for $89,000. Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) 10 is doing hazardous material sampling for $9,500, and United Rentals put up secure fencing for $5,600. The entire project costs about $240,000, which is coming from the district’s capital improvements fund, Business Manager Tera Rogers said.                         Photo by Sam Arendt