Thursday, 14 June 2012 09:29

The beauty of the renovations inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is being revealed as painters near the end of their work and other workers and craftsmen make progress.
The reredos, the decorative marble artwork behind the altar, is nearing completion. Work has begun on the marble floor in the sanctuary and the painting in the dome is finished.
Chris Baalmann, project manager for Simpson Construction Services, said work is also progressing in the narthex, the entrance to the church, where the millwork in the balcony is nearing completion.
The stained glass windows, which were refurbished by a company in Hutchinson, are back and are being reinstalled. The canvases for the niches on both sides of the altar will be up soon, he said.
Stone is going up on the exterior of the gathering space to the east of the Cathedral where a good portion of the rough-in is complete. Window frames in the space await glazing.
Work is moving along in the St. Joseph Pastoral Center, the building on the northeast corner of the campus. Metal studs are in place on the third floor, Baalmann said, where most of the mechanical above the ceiling and the fire sprinklers are roughed-in. Work has begun on the second and first floors also, he added, with electrical and dry wall to follow.