by Murrel Bland
Thanks to a public grant and private donations, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is having major work done on its roof.
The parish, which was founded in 1857, is located a 1300 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kan. , at the entrance to the Westheight Manor Historic District. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The total cost of the contracted work, which begins Oct. 17, will be $151,863. Funding includes $90,000 from the Heritage Trust Fund, administered by the Kansas State Historical Society. These funds are derived from a tax on mortgages. The David Woods Kemper Foundation, Kansas City, Mo., donated $10,000.
Other funds came from cash donations from church members and friends. The project is also eligible for Kansas state historic preservation tax credits.
The John Beal Construction company is the contractor; Dan Pulley is the project manager. The work will include complete replacement of all flat roofs and replacement or repair of clay tile roofs. All work will be completed in compliance with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s standards for the treatments of historic properties.
Construction on the first phase of the church building began in 1926 as the Westheight subdivision was being developed; the area now used as the main sanctuary was added in 1954.
“This project demonstrates an excellent collaborative use of public and private funds,” the Rev. Dixie Roberts Junk said. She is the priest-in-charge at St. Paul’s.
Much of St. Paul’s outreach includes a feeding program for the poor. The parish operates a food pantry on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. It also hosts breakfast Saturday mornings. It also offers classes in English as a second language, yoga and Zumba.