Church Building Restoration Update
June 2016
Dear Members and Friends of South Freeport Congregational Church,
Before summer overtakes us all, I want to report on some of the many good things happening in our church community.
The Church Restoration Project
The Church and Community Hall look wonderful, and the project is nearing completion. The lead removal is nearing completion with the front door of the church being scraped last week. New porches on both the church and the hall will be built, and then painting will begin. Everlast does not need to be painted; the shingles, wood trim, and all other parts of the building that are wood will be painted. We expect that everything will be completed by the end of July. We appreciate your patience. It has been a long and very meaningful journey for the Church. Please thank the Trustees, especially Bill Gilman, for their thorough and thoughtful project management and Jim McNeely for his architectural guidance.
The Restoration Campaign
We are extremely pleased to be able to announce that, with the generosity of many of our South Freeport neighbors and some new and additional gifts from our congregants, we have successfully concluded the Campaign. We have gifts and pledges of almost $278,000! These generous gifts have allowed us to pay for all the restoration work, the Powder Post Beetle repairs, and allocate funds for landscaping. We need to remind you that many pledges are being paid over five years, so we will continue to carry our loan and pay interest. We are hopeful that there are enough funds now to cover the interest payments until the loan is retired. If you have a pledge and are able to complete it early, this would be very helpful. Please join me in thanking my partner Jim McNeely who spearheaded the Village Campaign, and please know how grateful we are to all of you who have given to improve and protect our iconic building for the future.
Landscaping
Trustee David Palm who is also a master gardener and teaches horticulture at Southern Maine Community College is developing a landscaping plan now. Nothing will happen until after the renovators leave and the Blueberry Festival is over. Then, preparation and any hardscaping will begin with planting to begin in the fall.
If you would like to donate to the project and perhaps adopt a tree or shrub or an area of the garden, please let Beth or me know. We will be keeping you posted as plans are finalized. Thank you, Dave, for taking on this project!
The Memorial Garden
Because of drainage issues, we will not be able to construct the Memorial Garden in the site we had initially selected in the recessed garden area in front of the connector building. But, working with Rev. Bowling, we have found a very promising site on the property in a more private area on our property. Joe Field has checked state and local statutes, and we will be able to move ahead. The Memorial Garden Committee headed by Deborah McLean will be involved as we finalize plans, and if we can move forward, it will be folded into the overall landscaping plan that Dave Palm is developing.
Thank you for all you do for our church. I hope to see you at Sunday services during the summer and to join you in participating in the Blueberry Festival on August 5-7. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or thoughts.
Gratefully,
Victoria Devlin
President
June 2016
Dear Members and Friends of South Freeport Congregational Church,
Before summer overtakes us all, I want to report on some of the many good things happening in our church community.
The Church Restoration Project
The Church and Community Hall look wonderful, and the project is nearing completion. The lead removal is nearing completion with the front door of the church being scraped last week. New porches on both the church and the hall will be built, and then painting will begin. Everlast does not need to be painted; the shingles, wood trim, and all other parts of the building that are wood will be painted. We expect that everything will be completed by the end of July. We appreciate your patience. It has been a long and very meaningful journey for the Church. Please thank the Trustees, especially Bill Gilman, for their thorough and thoughtful project management and Jim McNeely for his architectural guidance.
The Restoration Campaign
We are extremely pleased to be able to announce that, with the generosity of many of our South Freeport neighbors and some new and additional gifts from our congregants, we have successfully concluded the Campaign. We have gifts and pledges of almost $278,000! These generous gifts have allowed us to pay for all the restoration work, the Powder Post Beetle repairs, and allocate funds for landscaping. We need to remind you that many pledges are being paid over five years, so we will continue to carry our loan and pay interest. We are hopeful that there are enough funds now to cover the interest payments until the loan is retired. If you have a pledge and are able to complete it early, this would be very helpful. Please join me in thanking my partner Jim McNeely who spearheaded the Village Campaign, and please know how grateful we are to all of you who have given to improve and protect our iconic building for the future.
Landscaping
Trustee David Palm who is also a master gardener and teaches horticulture at Southern Maine Community College is developing a landscaping plan now. Nothing will happen until after the renovators leave and the Blueberry Festival is over. Then, preparation and any hardscaping will begin with planting to begin in the fall.
If you would like to donate to the project and perhaps adopt a tree or shrub or an area of the garden, please let Beth or me know. We will be keeping you posted as plans are finalized. Thank you, Dave, for taking on this project!
The Memorial Garden
Because of drainage issues, we will not be able to construct the Memorial Garden in the site we had initially selected in the recessed garden area in front of the connector building. But, working with Rev. Bowling, we have found a very promising site on the property in a more private area on our property. Joe Field has checked state and local statutes, and we will be able to move ahead. The Memorial Garden Committee headed by Deborah McLean will be involved as we finalize plans, and if we can move forward, it will be folded into the overall landscaping plan that Dave Palm is developing.
Thank you for all you do for our church. I hope to see you at Sunday services during the summer and to join you in participating in the Blueberry Festival on August 5-7. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or thoughts.
Gratefully,
Victoria Devlin
President