Dear Friend of the Mead Building,

 

Thank you for your interest in the Mead Building. It is an incredible 100 years-old-plus 50,000 sq. ft. historic building and certainly worth saving. Each time I walk through the building I think, “What have we gotten ourselves into?”, but we knew it would never be completed unless we started. We have an excellent start and we are greatly encouraged because when we’ve asked for help, people have said yes.

 

The roof has been completely rebuilt with heavy double thickness underlayment installed, and clay tiles have been reset. We believe the roof is good for another 100 years and even longer, with ongoing maintenance. An extensive window shop is operational on the main floor in the east wing. The workers are committed to bringing all the windows up to standard and are building a storm window for each. A few dozen have been completed already, with more being done every day. We have an excellent wood craftsman overseeing the window restoration and older historic equipment has been purchased to complement his tools so that we can reproduce any damaged historic components. Scaffolding that was in place for foyer repair has been removed and the room is almost completely renovated, including restoration of original artwork. We have made excellent progress towards installing heating and cooling systems in the building, which will speed up the restoration, particularly during the winter months.

 

We expect to spend between four and five million dollars on this project; we have commitments for

about half of that. Much of the work is being done by volunteers. Every one involved in this

effort will be extremely proud of the finished product. Thank you for your consideration. 

 

Sincerely,

Jim Means

Mead Committee Chair