Cottonwood Assembly of God builds new church

Photo by Photo by Alskid Skidmore

Under construction for nearly seven years, this two-story church building in Cottonwood is now ready for occupancy, church members said.

After seven long years of construction and more than a few financial setbacks, the new Cottonwood Assembly of God church is now completed and in use.

What started out as a $150,000 - $175,000 project ended up costing nearly $400,000 due to numerous construction delays, reported pastor Bob Whitman.

Some of the setbacks included adding more trees to the property, enlarging the paved area around the church, adding more handicapped parking and adding a fire hydrant across the street from the church.

By far, however, the most costly change involved adding two Americans with Disabilities Act- approved lifts to the podium and the second floor.

Shasta County's building inspector gave approval to move into the new building about six weeks ago even though there are still some work items remaining to finish off the inside of the building.

Those items do not interfere with church services on Sunday, however.

Among the projects remaining include finishing off the offices and small meeting rooms on the building's main floor as well as the activity rooms upstairs.

"We can use more chairs and we need a large projector screen," member Alskid Skidmore writes in a press release emailed to the Valley Post.

"We also still have to install sound dampening surfaces on some of the walls," Skidmore notes.

The two-story building will also serve as a gymnasium for special events such as the church's own small children and teens programs.

The facility features a computer lab for youths and church leaders plan to offer a full range of summer and other activities for youths in the Cottonwood area, according to Skidmore's note.

Until the facility was completed, the nearest large facility where youths could go for indoor activities was in Redding.