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Work on the Church Roof Now Completed!
This past week saw the safe completion of the work on the Church roof. Although a number of working days were lost because of an unusually wet May, the work was concluded well ahead of schedule. The church now boasts a new roof that conforms to the latest building standards of insulation and ventilation, and should provide protection for many years to come.
To date, a little over $38,000 has been donated by parishioners expressly to cover the cost of replacing the roof. |
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Dear friends, At this time I feel it is appropriate to address the Church’s roofing project, inform you of current developments as well as related action taken to tackle this problem. As you may all know my predecessors would have liked to deal with this problem before but could not due to the Church’s financial limitations. Unfortunately, the roof right now has deteriorated so much that we have no choice but to deal with it as soon as possible. Right away we set up an appointment with the appropriate departments at the Archdiocese of Toronto. We were advised to contact a reputable company by the name of Buchan, Lawton, Parent Ltd. Consulting Engineers. The first report we received was presented to both the Finance Committee of the Parish and the Archdiocese. Subsequent to this we were advised to consult with Ted Katsoris, B. Tech., Arch. Sc. as the Senior Project Manager. For this meeting, included with the Finance Committee, we also had members of the Church’s maintenance team. Today I am presenting you with a copy of the minutes of the meeting held on October 19th 1999. At the back of the Church you will find photos and an extract of the initial report made by the Consulting Engineers about the roofing problem. "At the invitation of Fr. Mark, Mr. Katsoris attended this extraordinary meeting of the Finance Council to address some of our concerns regarding the Re-Roofing of the Church. Mr. Dingli and Mr. Vella were also invited; they will be acting as liaisons between the contractors and Fr. Mark during this project. Mr. Katsoris noted that the life expectancy of shingles is anywhere between 12 to 25 years, thereby explaining the fragile state of the present roof, which is approximately 40 years old. He made a photo presentation showing the present condition of the roof. This presentation is displayed at the back of the church. At least another month is needed to prepare all necessary paper work and tenders. This will bring us close to the beginning of December for the work to start. Mr. Katsoris feels that this project should not be started before early spring. Winter months are not considered good months for such projects due to inclement weather conditions, and also contractors will inflate their prices. It was suggested that a close eye be kept on the roof, should there be high wind storms and/or bad snowfalls at which time a patch up job can be made if the roof suffers any damage. Tender processing is done on an invited basis. These contractors are already listed with the Archdiocese and noted for the quality of work they produce. Contractors who would like to be listed with the Archdiocese have to:
It was also explained that the contract might not be awarded to the lowest bidder. If there is a substantial difference in the price, the consulting firm will contact the bidder to determine the reason for such a low bid. Should the quality of material to be used and/or inferior workmanship be a factor, these bidders will be disqualified. All approved bidders will then be presented to the Finance Committee for approval or refusal. All bids will show two quotes:
The chosen contractor will be required to:
The Consultant Engineer will do periodic inspection at unannounced times to ensure that the agreed quality of materials is used and good workmanship is maintained at all times. Walking in the Church roof during construction is restricted to the contractor, his crew and inspectors only. Safety regulations prohibit all others. As the church does not have an attic Mr. Katsoris is in the process of a design project to provide the necessary space for added insulation. He strongly suggests this direction be considered, as there is considerable loss of heat and/or air conditioning through the ceiling. No savings figures are available at this time, but will be provided with the completed design stage showing all pros and cons. The Consultant Engineer will also ensure the Contractor is aware that sometimes there will be some disruptions if work will interfere with some Church Services, e.g. funerals, etc. The Church will advise the contractor the day before, so that the work will be coordinated around the event. Completion of re-roofing will take approximately six to eight weeks. Mr. Katsoris agreed to attend a general meeting to address the parishioners, and answer their concerns, once all designs and accurate estimates are available." As you can see we are going through some challenging times both as a Parish and as a Community. However, I feel that if we put our heads together, with the help of God, we will prevail and succeed. At this point we need your consistent support and prayers. We promise to do our best so that this re-roofing project will be done well. I will try to keep you informed at all times. At the moment we are waiting for the final approval by the Archdiocese for this project and then tenders will be submitted. Thank you all for the interest in this matter. May God Bless you all! Fr. Mark MSSP
Last updated: Wednesday, May 31, 2000 |
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Some unexpected work had to be done to repair damage that could only be discovered when the shingles were removed, so the final cost will be somewhat bigger than originally budgeted.
