MARIA STEIN — Demolition crews are back to work, taking down parts of a historic church that was destroyed by fire and high winds.
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The controlled demolition of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Maria Stein began on Friday, with crews demolishing the West and North walls of the church.
News Center 7 returned to Maria Stein on Saturday morning as crews resumed their work.
The goal for Saturday was to demolish the East wall and the Northeast priest sacristy and storage area, according to the Marion Catholic Community.
In an update sent out on Saturday, parish leaders revealed the demolition of the tower has been delayed until at least Tuesday.
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The delay is said to be due to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) not yet releasing the transport permit for the heavy equipment due to six bridges that need to be inspected along the proposed main and alternate routes to the site.
“ODOT anticipates having these inspections completed by Monday afternoon. The carrier is on standby to begin transport Tuesday Morning and operational staff to begin assembly of the equipment. Controlled demolition of the tower will follow,” the Marion Catholic Community said.
As News Center 7 previously reported, the church was heavily damaged in a devastating fire in May. It sustained further damage from high winds this past weekend.
During the demolition work on Friday, crews were able to preserve a historical marker from the north wall of the church, which reads “The Holy Saint John Church 1849, Rebuilt 1889.”
Crews were also asked to preserve a large pile of bricks. The Marion Catholic Community said those bricks may be used in the future as a memorial, given to parishioners, and possibly used for fundraising.
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