June 1, 2020, 9:00 pm - Joseph Gnazzo Company, Inc. returned to UUCW today for one more week of stonework repair. The last vestiges of the Phase 1 funds are being used to seal the long coping stones that cap off the tall front gable, and repair a bulging section of granite blocks near the bell tower. This time, the work can be accomplished with only one worker in a bucket lift, instead of the multi-story scaffolding required last fall. No fear of heights for this mason!

Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund Application Submitted!

March 16, 2020, 4:00 pm - Today we submitted an application to the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MCP) for a Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) grant to continue onward with our stonework repair. MPPF is a 50% reimbursable matching grant program, and we have a pledge from the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation for the other 50%. MHC receives between 40-50 requests each year, and competition can be stiff. UUCW made a compelling case for the historic significance of our church and the community service it provides.
The grant process is rigorous, requiring legal attestations, detailed photographic documentation, a commitment to enter into a Preservation Restriction (see Mar 3 blog post below), and a copy of the original hand-written deed, signed by Ephraim Murdock Jr.
The application also asked for letters of community support. We were most grateful to obtain letters from the Winchendon History and Cultural Center, the Agricultural Commission, the Community Action Committee  Toy Town AA, Winchendon Winds, and the Winchendon Historic Commission. We thank all of these folks for their kind words.
All in all, we required a two-inch binder to compile the application! Our fingers are crossed; MHC will notify all applicants of their decisions in late June.

UUCW Approves Preservation Restriction

March 3, 2020, 4:06 pm - For the next phase of stonework repair, UUCW will be seeking financial assistance from the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF), administered by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MCP). MPPF is a state-funded 50% reimbursable matching grant program established in 1984 to support the preservation of properties, landscapes, and sites listed in the State Register of Historic Places. Our church is listed in the Winchendon Village National Historic District and is thus eligible for this type of grant.

Because the State is investing in historic property preservation, they require grant recipients to place a “Preservation Restriction” on their property deed in perpetuity. This will limit the amount and type of future changes that can be made to the property without prior permission from MCP.

The Governing Board deliberated carefully about this requirement at their meeting on February 9, and concluded that in the foreseeable future, UUCW is unlikely to make changes drastic enough to be limited by a Preservation Restriction. The Board voted unanimously to approve the Preservation Restriction commitment. At present this is only a commitment, contingent upon successful MPPF funding. UUCW will be notified of MHC’s funding decision by late June.

The statute covering Preservation Restriction can be found at:
malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/...