IDORA PARK Church bishop speaks of fire
The bishop isn't sure what cleanup will cost or if the church can pay for it.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Bishop Norman L. Wagner wants to clear up what he calls some misconceptions about the late Idora Park ballroom.
One: Whoever set last week's spectacular fire must have broken in, he said, because Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church had secured the site with a fence.
City officials have been complaining for years to the church, which owns the old South Side amusement park property, about lax security.
"The park has not been left without attention," Bishop Wagner countered Thursday.
City officials couldn't be reached to comment on the site's condition or the investigation into a fire the bishop called a "diabolical deed."
Two: The ballroom may be destroyed, but the church's long-proposed vision for the City of God remains.
The project will contain a conference center and medical, financial, education, historical and spiritual centers, Bishop Wagner said, without elaborating.
Demolition project: Mount Calvary has spent tens of thousands of dollars on demolition preparing the site in recent years and will continue with its plans, he said.
"We will continue to do what we can in erecting the City of God," Bishop Wagner said.
Cleanup will start as soon as possible, he said. He hopes building can start in a year or so. The bishop isn't sure what cleanup will cost or if the church can pay for it.
Was out of town: Bishop Wagner apologized for not personally addressing the issue sooner. He returned Wednesday from a world Pentecostal conference to tour the ballroom's rubble.
The church is fencing in the remains and has brought in three environmental experts to assess the site for asbestos, he said.
Asbestos was only in the ceiling, despite reports the contaminant was spread throughout the building, he said.