The City of Centralia will continue to allow the Second Baptist Church to hold Sunday morning services at the Centralia Community Youth Center.
The decision came following a discussion this week and the church providing a Certificate of Insurance which is required of anyone utilizing the building. The church had received permission from the Youth Center Director Herb Williams and its board members to use the facility after the fire heavily damaged the church. The church is currently looking for another temporary location and plans to rebuild its church.
Centralia officials say they were unaware the church was holding its Sunday morning services at the city-owned building until Mission Centralia sought a building permit to build a ramp into the front entrance of the building. They indicated the Youth Center wanted the work done by this Sunday to allow access through the front door for those who faced handicaps.
City Manager Kory Smith noted at Monday’s City Council meeting when the issue surfaced that since this was a city building, plans including load-bearing limits, needed to be investigated. He notes the ramp could see a lot more traffic and created more liability than the ramps Mission Centralia was building around town.
The ramp project has not yet been approved, but city officials have confirmed there is handicapped accessibility through the rear entrance which makes the Youth Center ADA-compliant.
