Tower Restoration

In June, St. Mark’s issued Tender Documents to four local contractors for the essential Masonry Repairs to the Church Tower.

As you will recall, the Tower Restoration Project had been split into two phases, with the goal to complete the most urgent repairs this year.  The budgetary estimate for this first phase was $200,000, and efforts have been underway since October 2022 to raise the necessary funds for this initial phase.  As of the end of June, approximately $155,000 had been raised against this goal, with $110,00 raised through generous donations and fundraising, and $45,000 secured through grants from the Pittsburgh Community Benefit Fund and the Anglican Foundation.  The budgetary estimate for the second phase, to be completed in 2024/2025, was $150,000.

Unfortunately, only one contractor responded to the above Tender, and their bid was significantly higher than our budgetary estimate. This contractor also indicated they could not commence the masonry repairs until 2024, and recommended that both phases be undertaken together, to minimize the total costs.

Given this response, the wardens and the Tower Restoration Committee have been working closely with our Construction Manager, Matt Morey, of Morey Constructing and Consulting, to establish a way forward.

In summary, it is still planned to commence certain repairs to the tower in September of this year, but with an emphasis on those elements of the work that do not require extensive scaffolding, and that would minimize any further degradation of the tower masonry.

All of the more major tower repairs and reconstruction, that will require extensive scaffolding, will now be integrated into one single contract, with the goal to award this contract before the end of this year, such that the work could commence in the Spring of 2024. 

In the coming weeks and months, our Construction Manager will be working closely with interested contractors in clarifying and refining the scope of this contract, and in agreeing on methods of undertaking the work, in a manner that will align the costs more closely with available and anticipated funding.

The preliminary work to be undertaken in 2023 will be completed within available funds.  A revised estimate for the remainder of the scope, to be completed in 2024, remains to be confirmed at this time.

More details will be provided as they become available.