Church marks building start

Parishioners of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Kailua-Kona held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday to herald construction of a new church six years after the previous structure was badly damaged by an earthquake.

A 6.7-magnitude quake and 6.0 aftershock in October 2006 damaged the church, built in 1850, beyond repair, and structural engineers later declared it unsafe.

Parishioners have been holding services in a tent off Alii Drive, West Hawaii Today reports.

The new church building will incorporate stained-glass windows and the bell, made in France in the 1850s, from the old building.

The $7.5 million project includes a 9,455-square-foot church building and a two-story, 11,030-square-foot parish hall. Also in the plans are a parking lot and landscaping.

Construction on the first phase, the church, will start this month and take 18 months.