Accepting Bids for Phase 4

Representatives from three masonry firms attended our pre-bid meeting on October 22 for a close-up look at the masonry work outlined for our Phase 4 building repairs. Several other firms have expressed interest and plan to submit bids. Overall, we expect a reasonable number of bids to be submitted by the November 8 deadline. This will allow us an opportunity to choose the most qualified mason at the lowest bid price, with work to begin in Spring 2025.

Invitation to Bid Posted for Phase 4

Legal ads for our Phase 4 masonry repairs were published today in the Gardner News, the Worcester Telegram and the Winchendon Courier. The official ad reads as follows:
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Winchendon, a.k.a. The Church of the Unity, 126 Central Street, Winchendon, MA, requests bids for masonry repairs to their 1866 granite building which is listed in the State Register of Historic Places, and in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Winchendon Village Historic District.
The project is being partially funded with a grant from the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund through the Massachusetts Historical Commission. All work must be performed in accordance with the documents prepared by Structures North Consulting Engineers, Inc., 60 Washington Street, Salem, MA (Telephone 978-745-6817) and meet the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. State law prohibits discrimination. Awarding of this contract is subject to Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity guidelines. A copy of bidding documents may be obtained by writing or telephoning the architect at the above address.
A pre-bid meeting will be held at the church on October 22, 2024 at 11:00 am.
Bids shall be evaluated on the basis of price, previous experience with similar types of construction projects, ability to perform the work in a timely manner, and references. All bids must be delivered to the architect’s office at the above address prior to 12:00 noon November 8, 2024 to be eligible for consideration and all of the grant-funded work must be completed by June 30, 2025.

Phase 4 Kicks Off With Site Visit

We are entering into now-familiar territory with our third Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) grant award from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. First up on the schedule was a mandatory orientation session for grantees which Jill Sackett attended on July 11. This was quickly followed with a site visit from Paul Holtz of the MHC and Jillian Borghardt of Structures North Consulting Engineers on July 15.
Paul and Jillian spent a good deal of time evaluating the target areas for our Phase 4 repairs. They examined the exterior walls and even climbed our ladders inside the bell tower to examine the backsides of those walls. Both professionals confirmed that we should be focusing on the top half of the west-facing wall of the bell tower as next in line for the most urgent repairs. This wall has many areas of missing mortar (see below). The plan builds in additional repair options if funding allows. We will see how much work we can budget once the bidding process gets underway.

Set in Stone Phase 4 Receives Full Funding

Last March, we applied to the Massachusetts Historical Commission for a Round 30 Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) grant and patiently waited.... The wait is over, and we are thrilled to announce that we have received a $50,000 MPPF grant for Phase 4 repairs.
This is the third MPPF grant we have received for this critical restoration work. We also received $50,000 during the Round 26 MPPF grant cycle in 2020 and the Round 28 MPPF grant cycle in 2022. This Round 30 grant, coupled with a matching grant received from the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation, gives us sufficient funds to proceed apace with Phase 4. As planned, we will be focusing on the West face of the bell tower.
The MPPF grant schedule will see us meeting with our architect and masons, collecting bids, and awarding a contract to be executed in Spring 2025.

Set in Stone Gears Up for Phase 4

2024 is a grant-writing year. Today we submitted a Round 30 Massachusetts Preservation Project Fund (MPPF) grant request to the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Our proposed work for Set in Stone Phase 4 addresses the next most urgent area of deterioration: the West tower wall.

Tucked around the back, away from Central Street, and facing Pleasant Street, the West tower wall is not readily noticed. But a close look at it reveals major areas of missing mortar, cracks, and shifting of stones. The clover-shaped trefoil window also has open areas around it. We’ve had the window patched from the inside – a temporary and partial fix. All of this leads to water ingress: the biggest enemy of any building.

The MPPF process is a matching grant program, and we are eternally grateful to the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation for having promised us the necessary matching funds.
The grant application is rigorous, requiring engineering reports, repair plans, budgets and detailed photographs. The application also asked for letters of community support. We were most grateful to obtain letters from the Winchendon History and Cultural Center, the Town of Winchendon Building Commissioner, the Community Action Committee, Toy Town AA, the Winchendon Courier, Our Neighbor’s Kitchen diners, and the Winchendon Historic Commission. We thank all of these folks for their kind words.
We’ll hear back from MHC in June, and all fingers are crossed until then. We sincerely hope you will see the now-familiar scaffolding gracing our building this time next year.

Interior Sanctuary Repairs

With our roof “valley” now watertight, we turned our attention to long-awaited interior repairs. Painters Pride, Inc., a company specializing in interior work for historic churches, came to the rescue. They repaired a large area of water stain in one ceiling panel, and reconstructed 24’ of deteriorated plaster molding. A total of six ceiling panels were primed and repainted. The entire south wall was primed and repainted, along with all of the trim around the south-facing stained glass windows.
Painters Pride took care to protect our beautiful black walnut pews, draping everything in tarps and plastic. The ladder work was not for the faint of heart: extra-long extension ladders with “spotters” were used to reach the highest points of the work areas. The crew worked full days and finished the job in just one week.
We now have a gleaming, clean south wall free of stains, cracks and dirt. We are tempted to paint even more!

Phase 3 Crosses the Finish Line

We have yet one more major step of our building restoration in our rear-view mirror. On July 28 we submitted our Completion Report to the Massachusetts Historical Commission for Phase 3 of our Set in Stone masonry repairs.
We have a new cricket, copper flashing, and a completely repointed north tower face. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this project was the “water test” to which the area was subjected. In addition to the torrential rains we’ve already been experiencing, a crew took hoses up on the roof and aimed high-pressure spray at every nook and cranny imaginable. We were thrilled to see nary a drop of water entering the sanctuary after this rigorous assault.
While much of this work cannot be seen from the ground, Phase 3 marks a significant step in our building preservation.