Friends Of The South End
Neighborhood Association Newsletter
Autumn 2009

Along with the first cool nights and other early signs of autumn, September ushered in the long-awaited start of renovations to the South Meeting House. This first set of renovations is focusing exclusively on the exterior of the building. In mid-September, the City’s contractors began work on replacing the slate roof and also weather proofing and repairing the bell tower. By late September, the City completed stripping of the old slate roof and installed a weather proof membrane to protect the building during repairs. The City at this point anticipated that it would take approximately two weeks to install the new slate roof. In the course of repair work on the bell tower, the City discovered that the bell tower corner posts required replacement. Accordingly, work in early October was expected to involve a crane to remove the posts and stabilize the structure during repairs. The City was confident that the clock faces would not be affected by this work.

After structural repairs and the new roof are completed, the City is planning on repairing the trim and siding on the building and then painting the entire exterior. This second phase of the project was expected to take approximately three weeks, with a late October/early November completion date anticipated.

The Friends of the South End wish to thank the City Council for appropriating the funds to complete this exterior restoration work. We also wish to thank John Bohenko, Nancy Carmer and Dan Hartrey for their work in keeping the restoration on track. FOSE also thanks the neighbors who have had to change their parking routines to accommodate the work.