VOTERS APPROVE $300,000 GRANT AT TOWN MEETING

The future of the Meeting House got a whole lot brighter on April 29, 2014, when Annual Town Meeting voters overwhelmingly approved Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding to continue the important effort to rehabilitate and preserve Truro’s oldest historic landmark.

The Friends application had earlier won approval by the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) and went to Town Meeting fully endorsed (with one abstention) by the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and CPC members. The $300,000 in funding will address the building envelope and structural issues associated with the Bell Tower and roof. Included are repairs to the bell support
beams and yoke, repairs to the roof ridge cap, eaves and rakes, and the associated foundation, timber sill and rotted water table structure.

Using funds raised by the Friends, the Friends and Parish asked architect Mark Almeda to prepare a plan for the state Architectural Access Board (AAB) for accessibility improvements that also would seek relief from some of the Board’s requirements in view of the building’s historic fabric. Support for a variance was given by the Truro Disabilities Commission. Upon AAB approval, and the award of the construction contract, work is now proceeding on a handicap accessible walkway  and interior accessibility improvements.

Proposed Accessibility Modifications

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In addition to the Community Preservation Committee’s request for $300,000 for the restoration of the Meeting House, voters approved $75,000 as a contingency fund to keep the project moving forward between funding cycles and in advance of the final year of funding to complete this restoration project.

CRITICAL STRUCTURAL ROOF TRUSS REPAIRS COMPLETED

The 2013-2014 CPA grant to the Friends of the Truro Meeting House, Inc., had enabled the Friends and Parish to engage Mark Almeda Architects and Ed Moll, consulting historical structural engineer, of Structures North Consulting Engineers, to prepare an architectural and structural engineering evaluation of the 1827 Meeting House. Their comprehensive analysis and plan identified the urgent need to immediately remedy critical structural problems associated with the timber roof structural trusses: “the timber roof trusses…pose a serious safety hazard to the public. If one or more roof trusses fail, the result would be collapse of the nave ceiling, loss of the roof system and tilting or collapse of the belfry.”

This urgent restoration work, using CPA funds granted to the Parish in 2012, was conducted over last winter and is now complete. In early February, Mark Almeda reported that “All can sleep easier knowing that the critical king post structural repairs to trusses 5 and 6 have been completed” and since then, the other trusses, king posts and roof structural timber members have been repaired according to the architectural and engineering specifications.

We now have new diagonal bracing reinforcement, installed custom fabricated steel rods and brackets, each differently sized to fit with the existing hand hewn posts and beams, and sistering of weakened structural timbers. Throughout the project, site visits were documented with Field Reports and “punch lists” prepared by our Project Architect and Structural Engineer and submitted to the Parish, Friends, Contractor, and Truro Building Commissioner to conform to the Town of Truro’s requirement of controlled construction.”

WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW?

Truro contractor John Hopkins, Augustus Construction Co., the successful bidder for Phase 2 Construction, started work this fall on the long anticipated restoration of the belfry, other major repairs and the exterior and interior accessibility improvements. The work will be completed in the spring before the next summer season.  In addition to the bell tower, foundation repairs are being made to the vestry and south facade, and with specified eave repairs, the building will get a new cedar shingle roof.

The Friends board had put the restoration project out to bid in October.  It spent the summer working with project architect Mark Almeda and Ed Moll of Structures North engineering firm on Construction Drawings, Specifications and Bid Documents. The contractor’s estimate fell within budget leaving contingency funds for unforeseen problems.

FINAL PHASE

The Friends has submitted a request to the Community Preservation Committee for FY2016 CPA funding that will complete the Meeting House preservation.  This will provide funding for repairing and replacing the deteriorating foundation under the church sanctuary and for completing the roof work.

Friends are urged to attend the CPC hearing on January 16, 2015 and, if CPC approval is granted, the Annual Town Meeting.

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