GLA Designs Landscape for St. Martha's Church Restoration Project 
 
December 18th, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Betty Galligan, APR
401-433-5965
betty@newberrypr.com


EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (December 18, 2007): Gates, Leighton & Associates, Inc. (GLA), an award-winning international landscape architecture and planning firm headquartered in East Providence, R.I., has completed landscaping planning and design for the grounds around St. Martha’s Church, 2595 Pawtucket Avenue in East Providence.

Landscape construction on the church entrance, walkways and parking areas is currently underway with an anticipated completion date of Spring 2008. The St. Martha’s Church restoration project, headed by Father Douglas J. Spina, pastor, is part of a $1M Capital Campaign construction project focused on improving the church exterior and rectory grounds.

“The project was initiated by Father Spina who saw that the landscape was practically nonexistent and that the property needed to be more pedestrian-friendly,” states Donald S. Leighton, president of GLA. “For many years, St. Martha’s has been an important place for the East Providence community to gather and worship, and the church exterior is in need of improvements and repair. The restoration project has developed into a landscape design that will give the church its proper presence on Pawtucket Avenue.”

A significant portion of the design work, led by GLA Landscape Designer Joshua Wheeler, is to create three new exterior spaces for the project, as follows: 1) a Marian Garden prayer area on the south side featuring a new plaza with a statue of the Virgin Mary and two granite pedestals and benches for memorializing donor names; 2) a Resurrection Garden prayer area on the north side featuring a statue of Jesus on the cross and three granite pedestals for memorializing donor names; and 3) a Front Plaza where the statue of St. Martha will be relocated. This plaza features a handicapped ramp and new, enhanced walkway to accentuate the main entrance to the Church. It will also function as a convenient driveway to access the front entrance for wedding and funeral events.

Jacavone Construction Corp. of Johnston, R.I. is general contractor on the project. Additional construction details include: installation of new drainage; site lighting; parking lot islands; rebuilding of fieldstone walls; leak repair on church foundation; seeding and mulching of landscape beds; soil testing analysis; and footings for bell tower and construction of prayer areas.

“This important and urgent progress will chart the future growth of our parish and guarantee its longevity,” stated Father Spina at a special Mass of Thanksgiving and groundbreaking ceremony held in September to initiate the restoration project. “We thank GLA for their fine landscape design work as we begin an exciting new chapter of our church.”

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Established in 1985, Gates, Leighton & Associates, Inc. (GLA) is a full-service landscape architectural consulting firm with offices in East Providence, R.I., Boothbay, Maine, and Cairo, Egypt. The firm provides design, environmental analysis, urban revitalization, and site planning services for commercial, municipal, parks, residential, and hospitality clients throughout New England and the Middle East. GLA is headquartered at 865-A Waterman Avenue, East Providence, R.I. 02914; Phone (401) 438-2071. Fax: (401) 434-7511. Email: glari@glala.com. Web: www.glala.com.





 



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