Auburndale, MA- The Walker Center is a comfortable, historic place of hospitality for non-profit and faith-based organizations to use as a venue for retreats, events, conferences and more. Founded in 1867 as a home for the children of missionaries, it grew into the vibrant center it now is, providing hospitality for scholars and students of theology from abroad, hosting conferences and retreats, and offering Bed and Breakfast accommodations.
Like many institutional campuses in the Boston area, maintaining older buildings is an ongoing and extensive effort. Lead paint exists in virtually every building constructed prior to 1978, and the historic buildings at the Walker Center are no different. When it was time to repair and paint the exterior of the main buildings, the Center also undertook a lead paint abatement project to address many of the common areas.
The Walker Center chose Alpine Environmental of Chelmsford, MA. Alpine has been addressing lead paint hazards for over 20 years for homeowners, institutions and businesses. And while many projects are straightforward, the job at the Walker Center was quite complicated. It involved myriad details such as window stripping and restoration, window replacement, stripping detailed woodwork, and applying liquid encapsulants to selected surfaces. Alpine worked with both the Center and the Auburndale Historic District Commission to gain approvals for the replacement windows.
Since much of the work needed to be done in occupied areas, careful scheduling and exceptional project management were needed to get the work done without impacting ongoing events or creating hazards for occupants. When the three month project was complete, Sharon Wright, Vice President of the Board of Directors, stated “Alpine did a first-class job on this important upgrade.”