It’s 126-feet in the air and a couple of brave souls are busy taking off the slate shingles on the steeple of St. Mary’s Church in Barton.
The slate shingles have been in place since the church was built over 100 years ago. Crews from Krause Konstruction will be on site for the next two weeks, pulling off the old shingles and replacing them with new synthetic slate.
“We’re kicking up a lot of bat guano,” said Eric Fisher with Krause Konstruction. “There have been a ton of bats up there; the bat poop is just falling off when they pull the shingle.”
The crews start normally around 7 a.m. and work until 5 p.m. Next week the schedule changes a bit because of Daylight Saving and the crew will quit around dark at 4:30 p.m.
Some of the slate shingles have been trimmed. It’s actually amazing how thin the slate is. 
Funding for the project is part of the parish’s 160 Landmark campaign.
Contractors said they will probably take off Wednesday because of the incoming storms. Next week, we’ll post a picture of what the new shingles look like.
Watch for more photos at http://www.washingtoncountyinsider.com