There is a stench throughout the Trinity Episcopal Church building, difficult to describe with words. One must be careful walking, especially in the Fellowship Hall, where the floor is uneven.

The floor is made of 12-inch by 24-inch concrete slabs, some lifted by at least two inches due to the force of the water.

Five months ago, on Dec. 26, a city water main broke on East Market Street in front of the church. On May 14, engineers gave the Rev. Dr. Pamela Payne and Senior Warden Ken Grieshaber clearance to provide The Press with a tour of the church, to see first hand the resulting damage.

A place once filled with hymns is now quiet and bare. Pews have been removed from the nave in preparation for repairs.

Throughout the church, cracks along the walls are marked and monitored.

According to Payne, the main break began around 1:30-2 a.m. Dec. 26, but she was unaware of it until around 11 a.m. Neighbors eventually told city workers where to find her.

The workers arrived in the early hours, alerted by neighbors. However, Grieshaber said no one realized what was happening in the church.

“Some of the neighbors said they were hearing a rumbling for a period of time,” but as far as Grieshaber knows, no other homes have been damaged.

The stench is stronger in the basement. The floor has been raised up to four inches in some areas.

“The water came rushing down the hall,” Payne said standing in the hallway. “Well, it didn’t rush. [The floor] slowly cracked and then it just kept coming.”

In what was once a basketball court in the earlier years of the church, and more recently Sunday school classrooms, the water rose five feet. The hardwood floors have been removed and cracks in the walls are being monitored.

Payne said, “It’s not totally safe.” “They don’t think it’s going to crash on us. We’ve been in here a bunch of times.”

Sections of the Fellowship Hall wall had to be taken out.

“They had to get in here really fast to rip through anything that could absorb water and lead to black mold,” Payne explained.

The organ is currently being repaired.

As for the repairs to the church, Grieshaber said, “We are waiting on bids to do what is called grouting of the soil. The engineers will drill about 75 to 80 holes around the perimeter and inject grouting in an epoxy, and it goes down there, and it expands. It’s like foam. It takes up space, essentially, and helps densify it for a firm foundation, solid ground underneath the weight bearing areas.”

City workers performed initial repairs on the main break, but nothing has been done in four months, and the street and sidewalk sections directly in front of the church remain blocked.

“We have not heard from the city,” Payne said.

In fact, there has been no word from either Public Works or the mayor’s office about the situation facing this historic building.

Reached by The Press, Director of Community and Economic Development Laura Collins said geotechnical testing needs to be done to determine the underground situation, as this is the third water main break in the area in recent decades.

DCED is seeking contractors to perform the geotechnical testing, and Collins said she hopes the contract will be brought before city council in June. The hope is to have a report in July of the geotechnical results, allowing the city to proceed with repairs.

Collins said she has personally reached out to Pastor Pam to ensure she is kept up to date.