The Grace Church Roof Committee
Update: April 29 2025
Site preparation will now begin on May 19, 2025, with a construction start date of June 2, 2025. The change is due to several factors: completion of work on the lower 10 feet of the Nave masonry prior to scaffold erection (begun last fall and being completed now); allowance for the tax credit application to the Wisconsin Historical Society to be reviewed/considered prior to the start of actual construction on or about June 2 (eligibility requirement for the tax credit); and delivery of the slate in early to mid-July. As a reminder, necessary preparation will include exterior protection of our beautiful stained-glass windows, affecting the natural light in the Church. Please remember to be safe around the construction site, following all Church, Bachmann and City of Madison signage. If you have questions, please contact Father Jonathan at rector@gracechurchmamdison.org or others on the Roof Committee. Regular updates to follow.
Respectfully Submitted by the Roof Committee (Jonathan Grieser, Rector; Amy Robinson, Senior Warden; Fred Groth, Project Manager for Grace; Joe Bartol, Church counsel; Jane Hamblen, former Senior Warden; Suzy Buenger, UW Art History Professor Emerita; Deb Anken-Dyer, Chair)
Update: April 10 2025
Grace Roof Project: Update on April 10, 2025
The final coordination meeting with Bachmann Construction (general contractor for the roof project) and Kulp’s (slate roofing subcontractor) occurred on April 10, 2025. Other key people are Dan Maki of Facilities Engineering, the architect/engineer on the project; and Fred Groth, Grace parishioner, a principal at GRAEF and the project manager for Grace. John Wood, a contractor and former Senior Warden at Grace, will assist Fred with construction details throughout the project.
All is proceeding well for the project to begin late April/early May. Pruning of specific landscape specimens has already occurred (see John Andrews for specifics). The first step will be to prepare the site, including but not limited to protecting the stained-glass windows, the fountain in the courtyard and certain landscape specimens. The Little Library will be temporarily removed. Scaffolding will be erected from mid to late May. Plywood will be placed from the ground up to 6-8 feet for safety and to prevent climbing on the scaffolding (you know college students!). Certain parking meters will be bagged and unavailable from 7 am to 4 pm from Monday-Friday. However, the alley will be mostly open for the duration of the project.
What we ask of parishioners during the project (from early May through December 31, 2025, at the latest, except for landscape restoration which will occur in 2026):
· Please be safe around the construction site; take care to stay clear of work being done and obey the strict barriers that are set up for your safety.
· For your benefit, periodic project updates will appear in GraceNotes and the Sunday Bulletin. Please do not communicate with construction workers at the site. Instead, please direct all questions/concerns to Father Jonathan at rector@gracechurchmadison.org.
· Please continue to enthusiastically support the project with your prayers, patience and financial resources, as able.
We have an excellent team in place and are excited for the project to begin. Each of us plays a key role in preserving Grace’s historic building for generations to come. Thank you for all you have done and will do to make this project a resounding success. We are anticipating a gathering to celebrate at the end!
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