Final brick tower repaired at church

The congregation at Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vt., has reason to celebrate this weekend. Friday afternoon, construction crews repaired the last of eight brick towers damaged by a microburst on March 12, 2005.

“It’s a tremendous relief,” said the Rev. Peter Luckey, the church’s pastor.

The work would have been complete earlier this month, but on April 4 a tower began to collapse as a worker filled it with grout. Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical used a wrecking ball to tear down the entire tower.

Thinking back on the past year, Luckey said, “It’s been one challenge after another.”

The 2005 storm also ripped down white, wooden caps that sat atop the towers. The caps could not be repaired and replicas now are being built. Luckey said they probably will be finished in a month.

For now, he’s thankful the church no longer is a construction zone.

“It feels really good to have our towers be new and safe and have people coming back into our church,” he said.

The repairs were done in time for the church’s annual plant sale, which also includes baked goods and books, from 8 a.m. to noon today.