Mission Farm receives grant from the Preservation Trust of Vermont

The Preservation Trust of Vermont awarded Church of Our Saviour, Mission Farm a $500 Robert Sincerbeaux Fund grant to fund partially a conditions assessment of three of the historic buildings on their property. Chris Cole of Cole Engineering assessed the property on August 2, 2017, and the Executive Committee of the church received his final report on September 14th. He summarized in the report, “The Vicarage and Stone Church buildings possess a large amount of historic fabric and in general are in very good condition. The Heminway House has some major structural concerns that will require additional investigations. The most significant issue at this time is the water infiltration at the rear of the Stone Church.” In the report he discussed other drainage and moisture issues contributing to structural problems for all three buildings, along with other items in need of repair.   

In response to the report, the Rev. Lee Alison Crawford and Executive Committee member, Sue Durant, attended a Preservation Trust of Vermont Retreat in conjunction with the Partners for Sacred Places at the Grand Isle Lake House, on September 21-22, for ideas of the best ways not only to address the preservation of these aging historic buildings, but also strengthen the valuable community resource this property provides. At the retreat Lisa Ryan, Field Services of the Preservation Trust of Vermont, asked each attendee to present a challenge or issue that, once solved, would move their project forward. The other attendees then discussed the challenge and helped identify potential funders and technical support providers.

Vicar Lee Crawford left the retreat with a sense of gratitude for the resources that the Preservation Trust of Vermont offers and for the new-found community of companion congregations that are confronting like challenges of aging buildings. She said that the conference provided fantastic opportunities for networking: “Already one of the attendees has contacted me about how local entities might work with Mission Farm to expand agricultural use of its land.” She relates that a major “take-home” from the conference encourages bringing community members — even those who do not regularly attend the church — into deeper conversation about, “What next?”

After the 9:30am church service on Sunday, October 1, 2017 (about 10:30 AM), there will be a brief presentation of the condition report, along with next steps. Anyone interested in the condition and preservation of Mission Farm is welcome to attend the presentation or contact the Rev. Lee Crawford at cosvicar@vermontel.net or 802-422-9064.  For more information on future Preservation Trust of Vermont Retreats, go to https://ptvermont.org/our-work/retreats/