$60K in CPA money funds Sunderland church repairs

SUNDERLAND — The First Congregational Church of Sunderland, described as “an iconic landmark” for the town, has been getting some TLC this year following the 2023 allocation of Community Preservation Act money.

After experiencing leaks, the church received support from Annual Town Meeting voters to use $60,000 in CPA funding to repair the roof and steeple, as well as update the 187-year-old building’s electrical system and insulation.

“We’re trying to maintain the appearance because it’s iconic in town,” the Rev. Randy Calvo told Town Meeting voters in 2023.

While the roof and steeple work wrapped up on May 21, the electrical work is ongoing and new insulation for the attic has not been installed yet.

“The steeple is an iconic landmark for Sunderland. … It’s been on postcards, it’s been on the cover of books, it’s been in magazines,” Wendy Houle, a member of the church’s board of trustees, said recently when interviewed about the repairs. “It was a really important project and the trustees just couldn’t be more thankful to the town for supporting this project … keeping that building preserved and maintained so that it stays right on our main street and still gives that small-town New England feel.”

While the church last underwent minor repairs in 2017, this year’s repairs were more extensive. Robert Morgan Co., a steeplejack company based in New Hampshire, scraped and repainted the steeple and redid the roof, which accounted for $30,000 of the CPA funding. The rest went to updating the electrical system and insulation, done by Morin Electric LLC and Eagle Construction, respectively.