The Parish of St Thomas on the Lisburn Road/Eglantine Avenue, has carried out a lot of work to Parish property in recent years – re-ordering and refurbishment of the Church, construction of a new office, and landscaping of the grounds – and there is more to do.
With the help of the Consarc Design Group the Select Vestry is currently preparing tender documents for major works to be carried out on the Rectory. The building has served the Parish well but is now in need of major repairs, especially to the exterior.
The long list of necessary works includes re-roofing, repair of external stone and brickwork, replacement of sandstone window sills, repair or replacement of windows, and replacing the metal guttering.
The estimated cost is around £110,000. Because the building is historically and architecturally significant, the work qualifies for grant aid from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency which will cover 35% of costs and 75% of professional fees.
Given the necessary nature of the work and the current availability of grant aid, the Select Vestry has given the go-ahead to this project.
Improvement and maintenance of the rest of the Parish’s buildings and grounds continued throughout the year. With last year’s harsh winter and the opening of the new office, considerable landscaping was carried out during the summer.
Cobblestones at the Eglantine Ave entrances to the church were repaired while some maintenance and repair work is due to be carried out on the Church roof over the coming months.
http://stthomas.connor.anglican.org/magazine.htm