Summer window project 75% complete
The sisters learned in May that the Washington, D.C.-based Support Our Aging Religious would provide a $15,000 grant to help pay for replacement windows in the 107-year-old landmark building.
Facilities administrator Greg Gallagher said the congregation has been upgrading windows on the building for some time, and has generally budgeted around $3,000 a year for the improvements. In 2008, for example, Gallagher’s staff replaced 13 windows at a cost of $3,400.
But with literally hundreds of windows on the five story red-brick building, plus its two-story tower and the Stafford Hall addition and a second annex that both extend to the south, the process is expected to take several more years to complete.
The replacement windows are made of energy-efficient, double-pane glass and match the appearance of the old windows. As part of the installation, the frames around the windows are being insulated and sealed, further improving energy efficiency, Gallagher said.
The windows being replaced this summer are on the north, or front, side of the Motherhouse, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.
The Concordia grant was one of 58 totaling $1 million that SOAR awarded this spring. The grants, which range from $2,000 to $25,000, are awarded to religious congregations across the country to help them with life and safety issues in the care of elderly and infirm members of religious orders. In addition to building upgrades like energy-efficient window replacements, grants in 2009 will help orders pay for fire alarms, water treatment and security systems, as well as renovations for handicap accessibility.