Green Light - Phase 5 Receives Funding!

It’s hard to believe that seven years have passed since the June 2019 launch of our Set in Stone Capital Campaign to repair external masonry. Since that time, we have completed four full phases of repairs, beginning in the front of the building and working our way clockwise, tackling the highest priority repair areas.

We were thrilled this summer to be awarded another $50,000 grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) and $75,000 from the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation to embark on Phase 5 repairs. These are our 4th and 5th grants, respectively, from these highly competitive programs. This Phase focuses on the south wall of our bell tower -  the final side of that tower to be tackled.

The Phase 5 program will follow a now-familiar timeline: kick-off site visits from MHC and architectural engineers this summer, call for bids on the proposed work and awarding of the contract this fall, and work likely starting in early spring 2027 after the winter months. South tower wall…here we come!

Next Up -Phase 5!

Since its inception in 2018, our Set in Stone capital campaign has alternated fundraising years with masonry work years. It’s an even-numbered year, and that makes it a grant application year for our dogged pursuit of sufficient money to repair our beautiful historic landmark building. Today we submitted the 2-inch bound application shown below to the Mass Historical Commission for a Round 32 Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) grant.

We’re requesting $50,000 to be matched by the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation to continue Set in Stone Phase 5 repairs. Phase 5 will focus on the last (south-facing) wall of our bell tower awaiting repair. While we have been fortunate enough to receive three prior MPPF grants, the program is very competitive and funding grants are not guaranteed. The application also asked for letters of community support. We were most grateful to obtain letters from the Winchendon History and Cultural Center, the Community Action Committee, Toy Town AA, the Winchendon Courier and the Winchendon Historic Commission. We thank all of these folks for their kind words.We patiently wait until the state announces its grant awards this June.

Phase 4 Closes Out With Fully Repaired West Wall

And it’s a wrap! Joseph Gnazzo Company Inc. did a fabulous job, finishing ahead of time and on budget. We were all heartened to discover that the two west buttresses did not need dismantling and rebuilding. Gnazzo was able to deep cut and grout each of them in place. However, the stones around the top left wall crack needed to be rebuilt, with exterior stones numbered and removed to access and reinforce the inner wall. Like a 3D puzzle, each stone was carefully returned to its rightful place.

Just ten weeks from the start, we have a completely cut and freshly grouted west wall stretching from the steeple soffit almost to the ground. For cleanup, Gnazzo swept up 12 buckets of sand that had been washed out of the joints and inner walls. The scaffolding came down in just 2 days’ time.

This Phase 4 cost $130,000 with every penny well spent. Phase 4 closes out with a voluminous Completion Report going to the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

Site Inspections Give "Thumbs Up”

The masons have been hard at work and were paid a visit today by Martin Anderson, Project Manager for Joseph Gnazzo, and Jillian Borghardt of Structures North Consulting Engineers. The workers have been chiseling out dried, crumbling mortar and pressure-washing all of the joints. We were all heartened to find that some intact mortar remained; there were no places where the mortar had disintegrated all the way through to the interior. Nonetheless there is a significant amount of new pointing required.
The masons prepared several color samples of the mortar to be used, and will await for them to set and dry in order to select the sample that best matches that used in other parts of the building.

A Chilly Kick-Off for Phase 4

After a full week of assembly, the bell tower scaffolding is up and ready to climb! Joseph Gnazzo persisted through through rain, dreary days and gusting winds to erect this impressive multi-story structure for their work on the west face. The ground level has a plywood “room”built around the base for security and safety, and is padlocked after working hours. The green scrim above serves as a wind breaker and sun shield. Work is ready to commence.

Contract Awarded for Phase 4

UUCW received bids from two masonry firms for our proposed Phase 4 repairs. After consultation with Structures North Consulting Engineers and the Massachusetts Historical Commission, we awarded the contract to Joseph Gnazzo Company Inc., of Union, CT as the lowest qualified bidder. Gnazzo is well acquainted with our Set in Stone campaign as they have conducted excellent work for Phases 1 and 2 in 2019-2021.

Phase 4 will focus in the West side of the bell tower (facing Pleasant Street). The masons will have their work cut out for them: below is a close-up of some of the open mortar joints that are in dire need of attention. Work will begin in Spring 2025 and will be signaled by the arrival of the now-familiar scaffolding.

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.

Flashing Installed

We’ve all seen the orange lift parked in various positions alongside the church tower for some weeks now. Phase 1 and 2 repairs featured obvious masonry repairs to the East face of our building. Phase 3 repairs, while just as important, are more…discreet. The valley area between our bell tower and main building, not viewable from the ground, was completely torn out and rebuilt with a slightly steeper pitch. This was covered with extensive sheets of copper flashing with thickly soldered seams.

The north face of the tower was entirely repointed, and an area of the roof retiled. We are happy to be nearing the end of this Phase and ensuring a watertight roof once again.

Calhess Begins Phase 3 Repairs

…and they’re off! Calhess Restoration & Waterproofing Corporation arrived bright and early Wednesday morning to begin work on the north tower face and valley. Most of their work is accessible by a lift (as opposed to erecting extensive scaffolding). First they’ll be clearing out all of the old, cracked mortar from the north tower face and will repoint most all of that surface. The bright orange and yellow lift will be a constant sight for the next several weeks.

We have a new Preservation Works! sign listing both Calhess and Spencer Preservation Group as our Contractor and Architect, respectively, for this phase of the project.

“Pipes and Platter” Celebration Event on April 16

Save the date! The stars have aligned, and we are finally able to schedule a long-awaited and much overdue celebration of the progress we have made on our Set in Stone building restoration. We have a double line-up on Sunday, April 16.

First, we will be showcasing our beautiful 1868 E. & G.G. Hook pipe organ in concert at 4:00 pm. Guest Organist George Bozeman will be at the keyboard performing the Chorales of J.S. Bach in an hour-long program. Admission to the concert is free.

Second, concert attendees will have the option of enjoying a special 4-course sit-down dinner in our Parish Hall following the concert. Diners will have the opportunity to sit and chat with Mr. Bozeman over a delicious menu prepared by UUCW’s Our Neighbor’s Kitchen chefs. We will also be acknowledging our supporters of our Set in Stone campaign, without whom we could not have made such significant progress.

Tickets are required for the 4-course dinner at $15 per person ($8 for age 10 and under). They will be sold at the entrance to the Parish Hall following the concert. We encourage advance purchase of dinner tickets at our web site:

uucw.ncmuuc.org

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.