The Grace Church Roof Committee
Update: January 2025
The Grace Roof Committee is excited to report that the Grace Slate Roof Project (Project) is now entering the early construction phase, with actual construction to begin in May 2025. Since early October 2024, Grace has signed a contract with Bachmann Construction to be the Construction Manager on the project. Bachmann, Dan Maki (architect/engineer at Facilities Engineering on the project) and Fred Groth (project manager for Grace) recommended to the Roof Committee that Bachmann hire Kulp’s of Stratford, LLC as the roofing subcontractor for the project. After thoughtful consideration of the options, the Roof Committee, and subsequently the Vestry, voted to approve this recommendation.
During the months of October, November and early December, the Vestry voted to fund the Project primarily through fundraising and donations, with commitments of financial support from the Grace Foundation, first, and the Development Fund Trust, second, to the extent fundraising falls short of the total cost. The Grace Foundation has already expended funds for the assessments and pre-construction phases of the Project.
Bachmann confirmed this week that the slate has been ordered by Kulp’s earlier this month and is expected to arrive in four to five months. During the late winter, pruning will be done to protect as much of the greenscape as possible. The tentative schedule will unfold as follows. Bachmann will arrive on site beginning Monday, April 28th. Beginning the week of May 5th, the scaffolding will be erected over a period of a couple of weeks. The stained-glass windows will be protected, as well as the fount in the garden area and other immovable garden plantings. Slate removal is projected to begin in late May to early June, depending on when the new slate arrives. There is preliminary structural work that will be completed before the new slate can be laid over a period of months. The slate roof portion of the project is expected to be completed no later than the end of 2025. Restoration of the gardens will occur in 2026.
As with any major project of this size and scope on an historic building, we need to be prepared for unexpected discoveries along the way. Yet, we have a highly capable and competent team with excellent rapport and communication, and we can expect an outstanding result that will last until the end of the century or early next century. We invite all of you to contribute whatever you are able, however large or small, to this worthy Project to maintain our National Historic Register and City Landmark treasure.
Respectfully submitted,
The Grace Roof Committee
Deb Anken-Dyer, Chairperson
Fred Groth, Project Manager/Engineer
Jonathan Grieser, Rector
Amy Robinson, Senior Warden
Joe Bartol, Lawyer/Grace Member
Jane Hamblen, Former Senior Warden
Suzy Buenger, Art History Professor Emerita
Read June 2024 Update Here
Fundraising.
As we reported to the congregation last year, the Fund for Sacred Places did not approve our grant application in 2023 but encouraged us to reapply in 2024. We submitted another Letter of Interest in February, 2024 but received word in June that we were not selected to apply for the full grant. We were not surprised by this because we are much further along in planning than the funders would have wanted us to be. We had put our fundraising on hold because of the stipulations of the matching grant. Now we are free to move forward aggressively to seek support from the congregation and wider community. We have already begun soliciting donations and hope to receive word of a significant grant from another foundation in the next month or so. We are fortunate to have the Grace Episcopal Church Foundation to supplement whatever funds we raise from the congregation and community. The Foundation has already paid for the pre-construction costs that have been incurred.
Our goal is to install a roof system that will protect Grace Church for the next 80-100 years, ensuring that it will remain a symbol of God’s love on Capitol Square for decades to come.
Members of the Roof Committee: Jonathan Grieser, Rector; Chair: Deb Anken-Dyer, Amy Robinson, Sr. Warden, Fred Groth, Joe Bartol, Jane Hamblen, Suzy Buenger
Image (c) 2023, Eric Tadsen