Lansford Borough Council on Monday approved a compromise after the State Historic Preservation Office issued a stop work order on a $1.04 million, grant funded project to renovate a downtown church.

Grace Community Church received two state gaming grants totaling $314,559 and a $729,000 federal grant through former Rep. Susan Wild’s office for its community center project at the former English Congregational Church.

The federal grant triggered a review by the historic preservation office, which flagged three areas as violations of state standards for renovating historic structures, Council President Bruce Markovich said.

SHPO issued a stop work order on the project, which is being overseen by the nonprofit Community Action Lehigh Valley, until a hearing can be held on whether to allow the use of the federal funds for the project, he said.

The Lansford Historical Society also discussed the project and will be submitting comments in writing, and will be available for a hearing, if needed, Markovich said.

The borough’s involvement was needed for several reasons, Markovich said.

First, a large number of families rely on the food bank offered by the church through this location, he said, and there is a need for outreach and counseling services this center will provide.

The federal grant also dictates that space be made available for community events in the building free of charge, Markovich said.

The project resulted in the state and federal government investing more than $1 million in downtown Lansford, he said, and successful completion of this project would bode well for the borough for future downtown projects.

The borough would be left with another empty, blighted building in its downtown, should church officials withdraw or not move forward with the community center project, he said.

Markovich also pointed out that the project is the transformation of a former church into a community center, not a restoration of a church for historical or tourism purposes.

The items SHPO saw as violations included: removal of the stairs leading to the stage/pulpit to gain more floor space; removal of stained glass windows, and removal of a bell tower on the outside of the building.

Markovich, who also serves as a historical society officer, met with church officials before council’s special meeting on Monday and proposed the compromise, he said.

The proposed compromise includes:

The church installing a stair lift or wheelchair lift to make the stage handicapped accessible. ADA access is not required in a historic structure.

The church removing stained glass windows from the east and west sides of the building, which are not visible from the outside of the building due to neighboring structures. The church would maintain the windows that are visible to front and rear of building.

The bell tower has been condemned since 2019 and the previous owners were ordered to remove it, as it is a hazard to the public and neighboring buildings. The current tower is also not original to the church. The original steeple/bell tower were removed in the 1920s or 1930s due to structural issues.

Funds needed to repair or replace the tower would result in a loss of money needed for the repairs and other work to transform the building into a community center, which is the focus of the project.

The Lansford Historical Society agrees to provide historical documents, photos and other items to the church for a permanent display within the building to showcase and preserve the history of the building.

Jeremy Benack, pastor of Grace Community Church, this week thanked borough council and the historical society for their support.

The project has been on hold for six months due to the state historical review, he said.

“I understand it’s what they do, but I’m not concerned about bricks and windows,’” Benack said. “I’m concerned for the people in the Panther Valley to have help, and a center to benefit the community.”

He appreciates the support for the community center, as the church will need it as it moves forward, he said.

“This is a large project that we all need to work together on,” Benack said. “We aren’t a group coming in from out of state with a lot of money buying buildings.

“This is our home, and we’re trying to do something not just for us, but for our kids and the next generation to have,” he said.

The community center project includes a food pantry, wraparound social service offices, multipurpose room for basketball, volleyball, dance recitals, banquets and group meetings, Benack said. A soup kitchen and health and wellness gym are also planned.

Both Markovich and Benack hope that the SHPO will accept the compromise, but Benack fears that they may have to pay state historical advisers to come on-site to make recommendations to the state office.

The church may need to implement those recommendations, which takes away from the actual community center, Benack said, or lose the federal funding completely.

Benack hopes that SHPO agrees with common sense fixes that would allow the federal dollars to go further and benefit a community with great needs.

“We applied to convert the building into a community center, not to preserve it,” he said.