Church building awaits sewer

The Episcopal Church is growing... Photo by Jim Cornelius

Two years in the planning. A year and a half in construction. And now, waiting. Waiting for the city sewer line running along McKinney Butte Road to be finished to permit a coalition of four property owners along "church row" to hook onto it. They call themselves, "The Trinity Way Sewer Consortium."

Among those is The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, where the new 5,000-square-foot Community Hall is waiting. Others in the group are St. Edward's Catholic Church, the Trinity Christian Center and a private party.

"We only have a few more days of construction and we're all finished." said Dick Kellogg project manager and coordinator for the church. "We have the money from the four partners in hand for the sewer project and all paper work is completed.

"It will probably take another 60 to 90 days before we can use our new building," he said.

The sewer line will ultimately connect to the new Sisters High School.

There was some hearsay among the church parishioners within the past six weeks that the building might be ready for dedication when The Reverend William Gregg, Bishop of Easter Oregon, paid his annual visit this weekend.

"We hope the bishop will come back to dedicate the building and join with our vestry and other community leaders in a couple of months," said Larry Harrelson, pastor of the church.

"The contractor for this Community Hall -- we're not calling it a Parish Hall because it will be for the entire community use -- is David Clemens," Kellogg said.

His stepson, Brent Freeland, is the project superintendent, doing the "hands on" work, setting schedules and coordinating with the sub-contractors.

"This really makes this job a three generational project," Kellogg said. "Clifton Clemens, David's father and Brent's grandfather, laid out the site plan for the original church and hand-built the bell tower which sits on top of the original church building and is still in use today."

The church itself was not affected by the new construction, "except there is a connecting galley or covered breezeway between the two buildings," Kellogg said.

"The new building more than doubles our present facilities."

Cliff Clemens recalled his efforts to locate the church.

"I actually climbed up a tall ladder on the site to get the perfect spot for our church with the best view of the mountains," Clemens said.

"Some of my friends were afraid I'd break my neck," said the now 93-year-old builder, living "temporarily" at Bend Villa Court Retirement Community.

"I plan on getting back to my home in Sisters in a few weeks, maybe by the time they dedicate that new building," he said.

"I remember we laid on the ground a bunch of 16 inch blocks, after I took my tractor and leveled off a pad, to form a miniature of our church," Clemens said.

The steeple is somewhat of a landmark and the bell inside of it can be heard every Sunday morning throughout downtown Sisters when it is rung to call people to worship.

"That bell doesn't ring loud and clear enough anymore, as it did a few years back," Clemens said. He described the sound today as a "kind of thunking."

"We need to put in new shock absorbers to give it back its clear, bell sound. Like some of us, the old ones have plumb worn out."

Cliff Clemens built that tower in one of the hangars at the Sisters Airport, which he owned and developed, in 1983.

"It was so large that an oversized trailer and special truck was hired along with a heavy-duty crane to move that monster and lift it on top of the building," Clemens said.

"I stood up there myself and guided it into place, then bolted it down. It is good and sturdy and for 20 years has withstood the winds of winter coming off the mountains and across the llama ranch," he said.

Clemens was then in his mid-70s.

Records show that ground was broken for the new Episcopal Church on July 10, 1983.

"It could well be 20 years to the day from that date, when our new building will be dedicated and open for community use," Kellogg said.