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Preservation group delivers nearly $5,000 in checks to town for Foster Townhouse repairs
Summary
The Foster Preservation Society presented two checks to the town council to cover recent Townhouse repair costs, including roof and survey expenses tied to previously awarded grant funds.
John Lewis, a board member of the Foster Preservation Society, handed two checks to the Foster Town Council on Feb. 13 to offset recent repair costs to the Foster Townhouse. The donations respond to a 2021 Champlin Foundation grant originally earmarked for siding (referred to in the presentation as "clabbards").
Lewis told the council one check was for $1,580.93 to cover roof-leak repairs and subsequent plaster work to the ceiling. The second check was for $3,358 to cover the cost of an SIL survey the town commissioned to assess structural damage beneath siding that had been removed. Lewis said those two checks together were “nearly $5,000.” The checks were presented so the council could decide whether to reimburse the town’s expenditures or return the money to the granting agency.
Council discussion named the town’s DPW budget and a townhouse fund as possible places to credit the money; a council member noted the work had been paid from the DPW budget and suggested routing the donation into the townhouse fund for future expenses. Lewis and councilors agreed council direction would determine how the funds are handled.
The society’s presentation covered background: the 2021 grant had paid for window and threshold repairs and other work, but the discovery of more extensive damage when siding was removed required additional structural repairs beyond the original grant scope. Lewis said the society requested that the Champlin Foundation reallocate funds originally earmarked for the siding to cover those town expenses, and he delivered the two checks to the council in person.
The council thanked the Foster Preservation Society for the donation and indicated it would consider where to place the funds (DPW line item or the townhouse fund) and report back at a subsequent meeting.
