High Hill Church Getting Roof and Steeple Repairs

Workers with Texas Built Roofing of Waco performed repairs on the roof and steeple of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in High Hill this week.

Forrest Lauher, maintenance supervisor at St. Mary’s, said the roof had begun leaking in several places, especially in the church’s bell tower. He said the water was starting to affect restoration work that the parish had completed about a decade ago inside the historic church.

Lauher said the church’s copper roof was installed around 1970. It replaced an old slate roof. After half a century, the copper roof needed a few repairs, Lauher said.

Dennis Venghaus of Schulenburg Sheet Metal fabricated new copper louvers for the bell tower. Lauher said the louvers will keep rain from getting inside the church, which was built in 1906. Workers from Texas Built Roofing installed the louvers with the aid of a massive boom lift.

“I love historical jobs like this,” said Robert Maiden, job foreman for Texas Built Roofing. “We don’t get to do them all the time.”

The workers installed a new ridge cap and replaced several copper gutters and downspouts as well. Lauher said the repairs should keep the roof in good order for the next 20 years.