For generations, the manse at Innisfil's Churchill United Church has worked as a quaint and less-formal gathering place for the community.
Here, the unassuming century home at 6253 Yonge St. (County Road 4), located a few hundred metres south and on the other side of the road from the more prominent church property, has served as the home for roughly 25 ministers since 1888.
It has also acted as a site for quilting and youth groups to meet, a place to host Christmas meals, a confidential place for congregates to seek one-on-one counselling with the reverend of the day, and a neutral venue for area church leaders to discuss common issues of concern.
It was a tradition Rev. Krista Moore hoped to keep going on the site that is co-owned by the Gilford and Churchill United churches.
“We all have deep roots here and this building reminds us of that,” she said. “We revived the manse when we came — part of that was inviting people to see it. We welcome anyone who wants to drop by, and making church more than just Sunday.
"I’m being the host and serving them, saying you are welcome in my house. It’s the Christian concept of fellowship," the reverend added. "This is a place where people feel safe. They sit in comfortable chairs, talking intimately about their lives. It opens up a different dimension of their journey and they start to feel more like a family.”
However, the ongoing reconstruction of the area around the County Road 4 and 4th Line intersection risks bringing that all to a halt.
The proposed construction limits are on County Road 4 from Greg Gemmell Way to 400 metres south of Meadowland Street, and along 4th Line from Valleyview Drive to 200 metres east of County Road 4.
And part of the plan includes the installation of a new barrier curb and gutter along the stretch of County Road 4 that runs in front of the manse. It aims to increase safety and improve drainage, but Moore says on-street parking will become impossible.
She notes the existing driveway only accommodates two to three cars. While the church has looked into building a parking lot at the rear of the manse, the combination of cost, property grade and location of the well and septic tank don’t make that feasible.
And with most congregates over the age of 70, accessibility is a legitimate concern.
“We want this so elderly people can park right out front and don’t have to go down a very scary driveway and try to back out into oncoming traffic,” Moore said. “Parking across the street would not work. They don’t think of who are going to these churches. We want to advocate for the elderly and the young and make sure they can get around safely.”
She brought the matter to the attention of Mayor Lynn Dollin, one of Innisfil’s representatives on Simcoe County council, on July 17.
“We have connected her with appropriate staff at Simcoe County,” Dollin said when contacted by Village Media.
County transportation construction manager Julie Scruton says this is one element of a large project that has been in the works for years.
Once complete, it will also include upgrades to stormwater pipes and new asphalt paving. And County Road 4 will be widened from two lanes to four, and traffic signals are to be installed.
“We are … completing improvements to intersection safety, traffic control and active transportation, as well as upgrades to the existing storm sewer, retaining walls and concrete stairs,” Scruton said. “Widening of the roads within the project site is necessary to accommodate increased traffic volumes, provide improved traffic flow through Churchill, and maintain connections to Highway 400 via County Road 89 and County Road 21 (Innisfil Beach Road).
"Any time you widen a road, you unfortunately lose space. As such, there is no possibility of on-road parking as there is not sufficient space within the right-of-way," she added.
Scruton says safety for road users and manse visitors is the county’s “top priority” here.
“Behind the curb on the east side, there will be a (one-metre)-wide asphalt boulevard, which benefits road maintenance operations," she said. "It’s important to note that this boulevard is not a sidewalk. Behind the curb on the west side, there will be a (three-metre-wide) asphalt multi-use trail. Due to limited space resulting from the road widening and mutli-use trail, on-road parking cannot be accommodated.”
Moore’s husband, Steve Woods, says a graduated curb, similar to what’s planned for other parts of the project, would alleviate the church’s concerns.
“Just do what they’re doing elsewhere,” he said. “It basically stops us from having any events or being a community centre.”
Woods says there’s also an historical aspect to keeping the manse functioning as a hub.
“There are only five manses left in Ontario — there used to be several hundred,” he said. “One of the questions is ‘why don’t you just do everything at the church?’ (The manse has) been here for 150 years. We love the place and we want to use it.”
This is the second time in recent weeks that parts of the project have come under scrutiny from Churchill residents, with local Richard Thomas calling out contractor GEI Consultants for failing to provide a privacy policy while using what he claimed were “pressure tactics” to confirm names, addresses and phone numbers from him and his neighbours, while attempting to gain access to their homes to take photos inside.
Construction will run until late November. Then there will be a winter shutdown, with the remainder of work finished in spring and summer of 2025.
For more information on the project, visit simcoe.ca.
