Pequea Valley townlively.com
OCTOBER 4, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LIX • NO 41
Preserving the past through plumbing Factory adds ADA compliant bathrooms BY ANN MEAD ASH
dam Nagle, executive director of The Factory Ministries, 3293 Lincoln Highway East, Paradise, likes to tell a story about his first tour of the former Paradise Elementary School building where the ministry is housed. “I thought the bathrooms were awful,” recalled Nagle. To his amazement, a female friend who toured at the same time came out of the women’s room and said, “Adam, these bathrooms are awesome.” Nagle responded, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Nagle quickly learned that the bathrooms differed somewhat and that his friend was admiring the soap stone stall walls, tile, and other features that harkened back to the building’s construction in 1927. Unfortunately, the bathrooms needed to be updated in several ways. “Currently, not one bathroom in this building is ADA compliant,” said Nagle. To change that, The Factory obtained a Community Development Block Grant funded by HUD with the
A
goal of updating the bathrooms while, as Nagle says, “maintaining the integrity of the things (many women) have commented on.” Currently, Beechdale Builders employees and subcontractors are at work on the multi-stall bathrooms located between the gymnatorium and the large pillars that frame the front door. “What we have chosen to do is overhaul them leaving the soap stone there, and we will build stand-alone ADA units to the one side,” explained Nagle, noting that a shower facility will be added for Factory participants who are struggling and may be living out of their car and for staff members who like to exercise on work breaks. “The only thing that will feel different from the current look is the tile on the walls will be replaced with a smooth surface used in most commercial bathrooms that is easy to clean and maintain,” said Nagle. Floor tiles, stalls, sinks, and mirrors will remain, but new lighting will help visitors to appreciate the historic details.
Nagle lauded both Beechdale and the subcontractors for taking on the job which must be completed by November to satisfy the grant requirements. A complicated bidding procedure combined with inflation and the timing of the grant all contributed to pushing the project into crunch time. “Beechdale agreed to do it, but it must be done by the first week in November,” explained Nagle, who sat down to talk with Beechdale owner Sam King and project manager Matt Graham before work began in early September. “They bent over backward to restructure some things to get this done for the community,” Nagle reported. “It has been a gift.” Nagle added that it is always a plus to be able to use grant money for a building project. “It’s cool to be able to get it done in this capacity so that donor dollars can go toward operational ends,” he said. More information about the ministry may be found at www.thefactoryministries.com.
Cruisin’ in Christiana Borough to present first car show
Organizations partner for Lancaster County Barn Tour
Elaine Bowman, board member with the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley (HSCV), and a member and former executive board member for the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County (HPT), had an idea. Having worked on a few church tours with HSCV about a decade ago, she thought she could bring the two organizations together to create a tour of local outbuildings. “I thought,‘Wouldn’t it be fun to hold
BY FRANCINE FULTON
a barn tour?’” said Bowman, who mulled the idea over for a bit before bringing it to both organizations in late 2022. Bowman called together a committee that began meeting monthly in January. Members contacted Lancaster County historical societies and municipalities, along with some interested citizens for nominations of barns, and they received more than 100 nominations. “We were looking for not just historical aspects but architectural
The Borough of Christiana will present the Cruisin’ in Christiana Car Show on Saturday, Oct. 7, at 17 Green St., on the grounds of the William P. Brinton House. Registration will open at 1 p.m., and the show will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit four nonprofit organizations: the Christiana Fire Company, the Christiana Historical Society, Moores Memorial Library and the Christiana Lions Club.
See Barn tour pg 4
See Christiana pg 2
Proceeds from the event will benefit local nonprofit organizations, including the Christiana Fire Company.
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Functional, beautiful, and historic BY ANN MEAD ASH
Adam Nagle, executive director of The Factory Ministries, stands in front of one of the bathrooms that is being remodeled in the former Paradise Elementary School.