STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS BY MARK HOWLAND and KAREN BOSSICK

When Emmanuel Episcopal Church opened its doors in 1885 there was not much to-do, if any, about wheelchair ramps. There was no Americans with Disabilities Act.

And for decades parishioners have hiked up its steps.

Joan Davies stands next to the church’s steep steps as she offers a historic presentation about the church. PHOTO: Karen Bossick

On Sunday—140 years after its founding—parishioners will dedicate a new accessible entry to the historic church. And they’re inviting the community to celebrate over a lunch of barbecued ribs, potato salad and other goodies at about 11 a.m.

Idaho’s Episcopal Bishop Jos Tharakan will be on hand for the 9:30 a.m. service. And he will  dedicate the new ramp following the service, said Robert Gieselmann, a retired priest who helps out at Emmanuel Episcopal from time to time.

Laren Price who was born in Hailey and has been attending Emmauel Episcopal for decades will be the first to use the new ramp, accompanied by her husband Gary.

“For all these years there’s been no way to get in but the stairs. So, we decided we wanted to make it more accessible,” said Sandy Scott.

The ramp building took a little doing inside the church, as well. PHOTO: Mark Howland

“There’s a lot of excitement surrounding this. I think we’ve had to carry people up the stairs and into the church a few times in the past,” said Mark Howland.

The architect on the $300,000 project was Laughlin Ricks and the contractor, Josh Neville. During the time they were working, the blue spacer blocks they put out for the tile looked like votive candles, noted Howland.

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