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.