Back in May, Parish Council approved the first phase of repairs to the brickwork on the north side of the church, resulting in the erection of the scaffolding which now protects the James Street entrance. At its June meeting, Parish Council approved the second phase, which is the repair and restoration of the masonry on the gable wall of the Lady Chapel, including the little belfry. It is intended to make the bell there functional again at the same time.
Together these repairs are estimated to cost $42 000. Funding is from a variety of sources: we have successfully applied for a $15 000 heritage restoration grant from the City, we have already received generous donations from parishioners, and Council has agreed to withdraw $50 000 from the Consolidated Trust Fund of the Diocese to cover the remainder as well as the costs of a planned upgrade to the system for streaming services. A big thank you to those who have donated to this work!
For the second phase of the work, scaffolding will have to be erected on the roof of the Lady Chapel. To support this without endangering the structure of the roof, jack posts and other supports will be installed in the Lady Chapel and in the cellar underneath to carry the load down to the foundation. We don’t have a fixed date for the start of this yet, but the contractor has already been on site to plan this bracing.