Your questions answered
We know you may have questions about the Frost Center, its history, the restoration project, and its future. Here are answers to some of the questions we're hearing most often. Open the ones you care most about.
What's happening with the Frost Center?
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The former Timothy Frost Church was deconsecrated and donated to the Town of Thetford in January of 2019.
In the spring of 2020 Town Manager Guy Scaife engaged the Architectural Firm of Smith & VanSant to develop a proposal where a minimal amount of work to the building could bring it to a usable level that would satisfy the requirements of the Town’s Insurance carrier.
That proposal which was presented to the Selectboard on January 8, 2024 suggested a series of ‘band-aid’ repairs for the cost of $671,000.
The Selectboard felt that a better understanding of possible solutions was needed, and started to gather more complete information.
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• The building has a serious water infiltration problem that is degrading the dry laid stone foundation, and creating mold and rot in the floor structure.
• The building is currently in a state of ‘demolition by neglect’, which must be addressed. Movement in the dry laid stone foundation has caused some cracking in the mortar between bricks.
• To be used by the public, the building must be brought up to current code, which will entail installing or upgrading the Electrical system, Water system, Septic system, Fire Protection systems, and Heating and Cooling systems to meet the requirements of the Life Safety Code, insulation to meet state energy codes and Americans with Disabilities Act that would require floor (and exterior) space not available in the current building.
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There would be very limited demand for a building requiring such extensive renovations, and once in private hands, there would be little to no control over the fate of the building, including demolition. The original intention behind accepting the building was to provide space for additional Town offices as the need arose.
Two of the primary original and historic uses of the building were to provide a place for (1) community gathering and (2) social support for town residents. We hope through this project to enable the building to continue providing these valuable services to the community.
Restoration: the cost, funding & alternatives
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Schematic design and cost estimating is currently underway.
We expect to have comprehensive numbers by mid to late October of 2026.
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A project of this size will need multiple funding sources. We will be pursuing public grants, individual donations and crowd source funding, local tax dollars, and we are exploring how we might be able to utilize user fees for the remainder, and for ongoing maintenance and utilities costs.
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This option is being looked at but is not anticipated to generate enough savings to offset the loss of this historic Town icon.
Who's involved & how will the building be used?
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A small group of residents formed a “Friends of Frost Advisory Group,” which is not an official Town committee, to look into other options and advise Town Manager Brian Story. Vermont Statutes grant the Town Manager the authority “To have charge and supervision of all public town buildings and repairs thereon, and all building undertaken by the town, unless otherwise provided for by the Selectboard, shall be done under his or her charge and supervision.”
Town Manager Story is making all final decisions and securing all necessary services. The Thetford Selectboard will have oversight of the financial expenditures in accordance with the Town Purchasing Policy.
The members of the Friends of Frost Advisory Group are Helen Carter, a member of the Thetford Planning Commission who has experience in overseeing large projects, Karen Brown, also a member of the Planning Commission, and a registered Architect, David Goodrich, Thetford Selectboard Vice-Chair, who has experience with building renovations including lifting and resetting buildings, and Bob Walker, who is an experienced community organizer and contractor who specializes in energy efficiency.
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Space allocations will be a part of the schematic drawings and exact layouts are subject to change, but the intention is to provide a dedicated space for community and social service organizations.
Space for Town services is currently very limited. Having an additional 2,500 square feet available for services such as the Food Shelf, Community Nurse, Social Services Coordinator, T.E.N., Recreation program and others will help relieve that space shortage.
The community & the future
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The Friends of Frost Advisory Group welcomes ideas and will be seeking help from people with specific skills as the project moves forward. If you'd like to contribute your time or expertise, please contact us.
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Friends of Frost is not accepting donations at this time. If the project moves forward and fundraising begins, you can let us know now if you'd like to be contacted about future opportunities to contribute.
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Former church members have made it very clear that the building now belongs to the Town of Thetford, and they will be very pleased to have the building usable and vibrant again whatever form that may take.
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Parking will be a very significant issue. Part of the scope of the schematic design process is to identify potential solutions for parking.
