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By Lauren King The Virginian-Pilot June 8, 2012 NORFOLK It took about 30 minutes for firefighters to bring a blaze insidethe Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church under control. It's taking longer to clean up. A month later, zippered plastic doors separate the charred sectionsfrom the rest of the building, which is still being cleaned ofsmoke, heat and water damage. Church pews are covered in plastic.Workers weave around scaffolding in the church aisles, andindustrial fans roar. The columbarium has become the pastor's office. His desk is afolding table, file cabinet drawers are lined up on the floor nextto him, and his shirt pocket rings with every call to hiscellphone. The day care center remains closed. The church pantry, whichcollects food for families in the community, is shut down. And ahost of church events, including a summer program for 6- to12-year-olds, had to be canceled. "I can't imagine why anybody would do this," the Rev.John Monroe said. "It just made me sad that someone could bethis lost or hopeless." It was about 11:15 p.m. on May 8 when alarms began sounding insideRoyster. Someone was walking around the building. Shortly aftermidnight, a fire alarm called Norfolk Fire-Rescue to fight flamesinside the church. Jean Rockwell, director of the Mustard Seed Care Center, arrived atabout 6 a.m. to call parents to tell them the day care center wouldbe closed for the day. "It didn't look too bad," she said. The chairs were stacked in the same places, the floors were stillclean from the day before, there was a little graffiti painted inone of the classrooms, but fire doors had prevented flames fromcharring the classrooms. But it turned out to be a big job, she said. Duct work, insulation, and floor and ceiling tiles were damaged bysmoke and/or water. The kitchen, renovated earlier this year, hasmelted appliances, charred walls and no electricity. The doors tothe refrigerator and freezer were left open and the insides weredestroyed. Books, toys and furniture had to be moved out. It's unclear whatcan be salvaged and what has too much smoke damage to be used bythe children again, Rockwell said. As the list of damage has grown, so has the wait to return.Rockwell hopes to reopen the day care this summer. Work in thesanctuary, which wasn't damaged by fire, should be finished in lateJuly, Monroe said. The rest of the church won't reopen before fall. The fire was ruled arson; investigators still seek information thatcould lead to an arrest, said Battalion Chief Harry Worley, a firedepartment spokesman. The church, with a little help from the community, is trying tomove forward. Sunday school and services have been moved to the Masonic Temple onGranby Street. Knox Presbyterian Church on 37th Street is now hostto the men's breakfast every other Saturday. A fire restoration fund was established to collect money for costsnot covered by insurance. Day-care parents have formed a committeeto raise money for the out-of-work teachers, and a fire task forceis handling property issues and writing grant applications. It's a powerful reminder, Monroe said. "Although we love our buildings and grounds, it's the peoplewho make the church." Lauren King, 757-446-2309,lauren.king@pilotonline.com. I am an expert from storage-palletracking.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Medium Duty Racking Manufacturer , Storage Pallet Racking, Storage Pallet Racking,and more.
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