ARMENIANS BREAK GROUND FOR CHURCH EXPANSION
By: Danielle Sanzone, The Record

Troy Record, NY
Sept 24 2007

WATERVLIET – The long-standing parish at St. Peter Armenian Apostolic
Church celebrated the groundbreaking of a new addition to their
Troy-Schenectady Road building Sunday.

The groundbreaking couldn’t have had better weather with blue skies
and mild fall temperatures.

Nearly 200 members of the parish attended the event, which also
served as a farewell party for outgoing Rev. Stepanos Doudoukjian,
who served the parish for almost 12 years, and a welcome party for
incoming pastor Rev. Bedros Kadehjian.

The ceremony included several speakers and a Giffy’s Barbecue picnic
and fund-raiser.

The planned addition to the church – which was built in the 1970s –
will include new bathrooms on the first floor, an elevator, and an
office wing. The project is also slated to include renovations to
the existing building. The expected cost is around $600,000, said
Rich Hartunian, a spokesman for the church.

"Now that we have officially broken ground, the main construction
should begin imminently," he said.

Officials hope the majority of the project – including the elevator
and bathrooms – will be completed by January. Then the remainder of
the construction on the office wing will commence in the spring.

Once the project is completed, the church will have a new coatroom,
multipurpose room, bride’s room, priest’s office, conference room,
secretary’s office, storage room, and a rear parking lot. The existing
main hall, the kitchen and the lower restrooms will also be renovated.

The majority of the parish attended Sunday’s festivities to also bid
a fond farewell to their pastor while welcoming their new one.

"I feel proud on this day to be a part of putting the shovels in the
ground for the new addition," said Doudoukjian. "This gives a sense
of moving forward and progress."

Doudoukjian plans to take a new job at the St. Nersess Armenian
Seminary as its director of youth and vocations. The church’s incoming
pastor will start his new post immediately.

The church, which has roots back to 1899, also is the hometown parish
of Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian.