Community Preservation Committee approves restorations at two local parishes

The Waltham Community Preservation Committee heard proposals to restore and preserve two historic parishes in the city at its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Walter Beebe-Center, a volunteer property commissioner at First Parish Church, presented a plan to address damage sustained to the building’s steeple.

The wooden steeple, part of the original church from 1932, is rotting and showing signs of weather damage due to loss of paint and decorative material, according to Beebe-Center.

The committee unanimously approved $77,250 to fund the project.

After discussing the project with five firms, American Steeple and Tower Co., Inc., a Salem-based construction company specializing in historic restoration and preservation, is set to do the necessary work to preserve the historic parish, according to Beebe-Center.

“We’re confident that they’re capable of handling it because we’ve seen many steeples similar to ours that they’ve taken good care of,” Beebe-Center said.

In addition, the committee heard a proposal for restoration and preservation from Father Michael Nolan, the pastor of Waltham’s St. Mary’s Parish.

St. Joseph’s, a former convent built in 1923 on the parish’s property, is in major need of repairs to its stonework, tile, ramps, egresses and windows, according to Nolan.

The parish utilizes St. Joseph’s as a main building for its free afterschool programs, a food pantry and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

The committee unanimously approved a $942,575 restoration project proposal specifically citing repointing and waterproofing the building’s bricks and restoring its windows and stained glass.

Nolan explained that restoration instead of replacement would not only maintain a historic appearance, but also extend the lifespan of the building’s existing windows and stained glass.

“If the lifespan of replacement windows is normally 25 years, restoration of older windows means that they could last 70 to 100 years, so we think it’s a better investment long-term,” said Nolan.

Waltham-based building restoration service Cleary and Son and Folan Waterproofing will complete the work,according to Nolan.

Additionally, the committee:

–   Unanimously passed a motion to keep M. Justin Barrett, Jr. as committee chair and Erika Oliver Jerram as vice chair.     

–   Unanimously passed a motion to hold four meetings a year with the option to hold a supplemental emergency meeting if necessary.-   Announced it will hold its next four meetings on Nov. 18, 2025, Feb. 10, 2026, May 12, 2026 and one in September 2026 without a determined date.