News on westport church better than expected
A SURVEY has now been completed on St. Mary’s Church, Westport, which is currently closed, and the news is 'much better than previously expected'.
A statement issued on the church website said that since 2004, questions have been raised about the state of repair of the main roof of the church.
It continued: 'We are now satisfied, that with proper repair and maintenance, there is another 50 years left in the roof.
'Out of the 12,500 slates on the roof less than 100 are currently damaged, even if the roof was totally replaced a number would still be in need of repair each year.
'The lightening rods on the church no longer meet required standards and we are moving to replace these as a matter of urgency.
'The attic area is in a good state of repair. There is no sign of active woodworm and the beams are fine. The attic will need to be insulated and lighting and a walk way put in place for ongoing maintenance.
'The PVC gutters on the church will have to be removed and replaced with rigid metal gutters to reduce maintenance and facilitate access onto roof.
'The flat roofs all need to be replaced, and all of the ceilings underneath them need to be removed as previously stated.
'Asbestos has been found, but only that which has been found in the boiler room needs to be removed. This is to begin shortly.
'We are currently pricing the work that needs to be carried out and then hope to move to tender stage. It is very important to us that we give everybody, and particularly locals a fair chance at tendering providing that various requirements are met.
'All of this slows the process down but is worthwhile. The time taken to carry out painstaking survey work has allowed us to verify the integrity of the roof avoiding the cost of its full replacement.
'There are more long term issues such as the stained glass which we hope will make up part of a long term plan.
'Funds will be needed to complete the works, we are still not sure yet how much, but are currently working to establish this.'