New hall for Jehovah's Witnesses under construction in the Sault

NEWS RELEASE
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
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This year, Jehovah’s Witnesses will build or extensively renovate more than 2,500 places of worship worldwide, and in July 2019, they began construction on a new place of worship, called a Kingdom Hall, in Sault Ste. Marie.

The 3,822-square-foot building, located at 928 Second Line, is slated for completion in November. The building will incorporate construction methods and advanced eco-friendly building controls, which are part of the best-practice building methods employed by Jehovah’s Witnesses in their construction projects all around the globe.

Some examples of what is to be incorporated into the new structure include a building envelope design that exceeds all applicable building codes, significantly reducing energy consumption; custom digital building controls employing motion detection, ensuring systems are only operational when needed; energy-efficient radiant floor heating, realizing cost savings without affecting occupant comfort. The same attention was given to lighting, with the exclusive use of LED fixtures both indoors and outdoors.

This project also includes solutions to meet changing conservation challenges in Sault Ste. Marie. In this instance, since the city is experiencing an increased number of serious rain events, special attention was given to designing a stormwater management system that allows heavy rain events to be handled with onsite water storage rather than dumping excess water into the city infrastructure.

“This new place of worship will be well used and will be the centre of Bible education for the 378 Jehovah’s Witnesses who make up the four congregations in the Sault Ste. Marie area,” explains Glen Keats, project manager, who has worked on similar projects throughout Ontario. He adds: “The energy-efficient building we are constructing here in Sault Ste. Marie follows the eco-friendly approach used globally by Jehovah’s Witnesses. We are excited to add a beautiful new building to the community while also maintaining a green footprint.”

While a building project of this scope and complexity requires many specialized tradesmen, Jehovah’s Witnesses have a large pool of skilled tradesmen who volunteer their time working on construction projects across the region. Local Sault residents will be joined by volunteers travelling from places such as Windsor, Ontario and L’Annonciation, Que. Some have even travelled from as far away as Regina, Sask., with many using vacation time to assist with the construction project.

Jehovah’s Witnesses have been active members of the Sault Ste. Marie community for more than a century. Longtime resident of the Sault, Frank Verteramo, who has been attending meetings held at Kingdom Halls in Sault Ste. Marie for nearly 50 years, describes what he sees as the impact a Kingdom Hall has on a community like Sault Ste. Marie: “In countries all around the world, Jehovah’s Witnesses are known as good and honest people. It is at Kingdom Halls such as this one that we learn how to put Bible teachings into practice and become positive contributors to the community.”

The new Kingdom Hall will replace the current place of worship at 742 Third Line East presently being used by Jehovah’s Witnesses, which was built in the 1980s.

All meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses are open to the public and local residents are warmly welcomed to attend.

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