A Bloomington church whose building was deemed unsafe for large gatherings after the city updated its fire code has found a new place to call home.
Hope Church leaders purchased a property on 1 Yount Drive in Bloomington on Wednesday, with the plan being to move into the building sometime in November — or, if necessary, in December.
Pastor Jennie Edwards Bertrand said the timing depends on the work a contractor will do at the site that formerly was a private gymnastics center called The Jump Spot.
"I feel really great relief," Bertrand said in an interview. "I also feel very excited for our future."
Earlier this year, the church found itself in a sort of limbo after learning new fire code specifications adopted by the City of Bloomington required either the landlord make costly renovations to the building it occupied for nearly five years at 1304 E. Empire St. alongside Regions Bank — or the church relocate.
Initially, Hope Church faced a June 30 move-out date set by the city due to it being considered unsafe for gatherings without a sprinkler system. But Bertrand said the city allowed the church's leadership an extended period of time to find another location.
"We're very appreciative of the city's patience with the time it took to find a new building in a competitive commercial real estate atmosphere," she said.
Still, the small church's move won't be immediate.
Bertrand said church leaders have hired a contractor to renovate the one-story building so it meets city code requirements; it's unclear how long that will take. Hope Church's new, city-set move-out date for its East Empire Street building is Nov. 1, Bertrand said.
"We may have a small gap, but we are appreciative it's a small gap and not a large gap," she said.
The City of Bloomington adopted an updated fire code in 2020, a procedure that happens periodically. City officials said the halt of inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for a lag in enforcement of the new standards.
