Calhess Restoration Selected for Phase 3 Tower Cricket Repair

UUCW was fortunate to receive five excellent and competitive bids for our Phase 3 Tower Cricket Repairs. The Massachusetts Historical Commission reviewed the contractor bid tabulations and recommendations from Spencer Preservation Group for the best value and qualified bidder. We collectively identified Calhess Restoration & Waterproofing Corporation of Westwood, Massachusetts as the preferred contractor for this phase of work.

Calhess Restoration & Waterproofing Corp. has been in business for over 68 years providing a range of services including Brick and Stone restoration, Commercial Waterproofing, Garage and Concrete Restoration and Waterproofing, Sealants, Caulking, Grouting, and General Contacting and Consulting to the greater New England area. Some of their historic restoration work includes the Marblehead, MA Town Hall; Concord, MA Town Hall; Fort Sewell in Marblehead, MA; and Fort Hill Tower in Boston, MA. For more information see their website: http://calhesscorp.com/

We have contacted Calhess and they have accepted our offer to move forward with them on the contract. We plan to schedule work as soon as feasible in Spring 2023.

We appreciate everyone who expressed interest in our beautiful historic building.

Pre-Bid Meeting Held for Phase 3

Our pre-bid meeting for Phase 3 “Tower Cricket Repair” was held on a sunny fall morning. The meeting was led by Principal Architect Doug Manley of the Spencer Preservation Group, and attended by four different firms: two from Massachusetts, and two from Connecticut, with several others expressing interest. All specialize in historic restoration sporting impressive resumes of projects completed on multiple historic properties across New England.

For the curious, a tower cricket is a sloped backing that diverts water away from the tower and down the roof. A roofer builds the cricket out of wood and then adds metal flashing on top. The repair of the tower cricket will be complex. It includes replacing the current failing cricket with a new cricket of steeper pitch. New copper flashing will be installed. The north facing tower will be stripped and repointed, and a leaky window sill on the first dormer window will be replaced. When complete, we should have completely stopped up the water ingress into the sanctuary that we have been experiencing.

In the pictures below, the group stands below the valley area between the church tower and main building where the old cricket is located, with Doug leading the discussion.

Final bids are due on Monday, November 14, 2022.

Invitation to Bid Posted for Phase 3

Legal ads for our Phase 3 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 tower and cricket repair of 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 Spencer Preservation Group, Architect, 41 Valley Road, Nahant, MA 01908 (Telephone 617-227-2675) 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 November 2, 2022 at 10:00 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 11, 2022 to be eligible for consideration and all of the grant-funded work must be completed by June 30, 2023.

Set in Stone Phase 3 Begins

With funding now assured via generous grants from the Massachusetts Historic Commission (MHC) and the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation, UUCW has officially launched Phase 3 of our masonry repairs. Phase 3 focuses on repairs to the leaky “valley” between the bell tower and main roof.

On July 13 we welcomed a site visit from Paul Holtz, our assigned Project Manager from MHC, and Douglas Manley, Principal Architect of the Spencer Preservation Group. Both gentlemen will work closely with us throughout Phase 3. Paul will monitor our progress and make sure we adhere to the State’s grant requirements and to our Preservation Restriction that is permanently in place for our building. Doug will produce the construction plans and documents against which contractors will bid, and will oversee execution against those plans. Jill Sackett will serve as the Project Coordinator for UUCW.

Our meeting began in the back of the church sanctuary, underneath the ceiling area that is damaged by water seeping in from the valley.

In the picture below, Jill, Doug and Paul study the valley area and discuss the general scope of Phase 3. The visit included a trip up the dusty ladders to the interior top of the tower…not for the faint of heart.

We expect to have construction documents ready for bid by the end of August.

Set in Stone Receives Two Major Grants

We’ve been patiently waiting….and the wait is finally over. UUCW is the grateful recipient of two matching grants to fund Phase 3 of our continued building repairs. The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) awarded us $50,000 in Round 28 of their Massachusetts Projects Preservation Program. This will be matched with a $65,000 grant previously awarded by the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation. The combined sum will allow us to tackle major repairs to the “valley” between the tower and main building and seal up leaky areas that have been allowing water ingress into the sanctuary during heavy rains.

Over the next several months we will undertake several prescribed steps: site visits from MHC, bids from qualified contractors, and initiation of work with oversight by a preservation architect.

“Round 28” MPPF Grant Application

We’re in! Today UUCW submitted its second-ever application to the Massachusetts Historical Commission. We’re seeking a Round 28 Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) grant to execute Phase 3 of our extensive masonry repairs. For this phase, we must tackle an age-old problem area: the “valley” between the church tower and main building. This low point collects ice build-up, snow and rain. It deteriorates earlier than any other part of our roof, which is otherwise in very good condition. The valley has now “sprung a leak” and water enters the sanctuary during particularly heavy rains. Water damage is now evident on a portion of the sanctuary ceiling. Time is of the essence. We await word from the State, which we expect in June 2022. With luck, we will have these urgent repairs underway yet this year.