On the afternoon of Tuesday, February 22, 2022, the residents of Varsenare were able to witness a true tower crane spectacle at their parish church. Since the previous Friday, a broken cross had been dangling from the spire as a result of Storm Eunice. Verhelst Aannemingen completed the task using one of its mobile tower cranes.
‘Are sacred cows being demolished like this?’ Removing a blown over cross from a church tower is not something you experience every day, fortunately! However, this task turned out to be routine work for the team at Verhelst Aannemingen.
“Removing the cross is not that difficult. The challenge is getting there safely,” says Jente Minnebo, responsible for lifting operations. “The 70-kilo cross was only attached to the steel cable of the lightning conductor. Add to that the fact that the tower spire is about 37 meters high and you can imagine that heavier equipment is necessary.” Verhelst Aannemingen regularly performs tasks at heights of up to 80 meters, but usually, they are installing windows in apartments …
With the mobile tower crane, a hoist cage with two men was lifted up. The fitters then dragged the lightning conductor through after which they brought the sacred ornament down.
Mayor Frank Casteleyn is very pleased with the demolition work. “Verhelst Group sprang into action quickly and ensured everything was done safely,” he said with relief.
