Michigan Church Installs Lift

Linden Presbyterian Church in Fenton, Michigan, recently installed a lift to make worship more accessible, the Tri-County Times reports. The congregation collected funds to purchase the approximately US$100,000 Savaria lift, which was installed in May. The chapel was built between 1860 and 1862, and the fellowship hall and Sunday school classrooms downstairs were built in 1976, which made the building a split level. There is a ramp, but church officials have been trying to get a lift or elevator for the past 30 years. After the pandemic, the church had plans for an elevator that would have cost approximately US$750,000, which was too expensive for the small congregation. A lift was the next best option. Lindhout Associates was the architect on the project, Case Construction made the necessary changes to the building, such as taking out some steps, and A-4 Access manufactured the lift. The lift has a mid-rise door, the top is not enclosed, and it stops at all three levels of the building. It holds two people and a wheelchair. The weight capacity is 750 lb.