SINGAPORE: More than S$2.1 million will be given to 12 national monuments this year to co-fund restoration and maintenance works, said the National Heritage Board (NHB) on Thursday (Jul 26).
This sum will be disbursed through the National Monuments Fund, which was set up in 2008.
Of the total sum, S$2 million will be used to co-fund restoration works at six monuments while S$113,000 will subsidise the maintenance of all 12 monuments.
One monument which has received subsidies for both restoration and maintenance works is the 164-year-old Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple along Serangoon Road.
“This funding … is a good example of the partnership between the Preservation of Sites and Monuments division of NHB and the Hindu Endowments Board, in ensuring that the heritage we have inherited will be passed on to our future generations in a pristine condition,” said Mr Rajan Krishnan, chairman of the temple’s redevelopment committee.
The temple received about S$88,000 to offset the cost of its restoration efforts, which included sculptural restoration on its five-tiered entrance tower.
The painstaking process was carried out by eight skilled sculptors from India and took four months to complete.
The temple’s inner sanctums were also re-tiled while the chipped granite floor at the main temple was replaced.
The total cost of its restoration efforts, including other works not eligible for co-funding, was about S$700,000. The rest of the cost was covered through donations to the temple.
Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple. (Photo: National Heritage Board)
SCOPE OF MAINTENANCE FUND EXPANDED
Another first-time recipient of the restoration fund is the Church of St Teresa at Kampong Bahru Road.
It will receive about S$1.3 million to offset its total restoration costs of about S$4.3 million.
This comes after an investigation of structural defects – funded by the board’s maintenance fund – revealed several issues.
For example, cracking on roof tiles has led to leakages, causing mould and obvious staining.
There are also cracks on the building’s walls – meaning that layers of decades-old paint will have to be stripped to examine if the faults are structural.
Mr Joseph Silverayan, a parishioner at the church, said the funds are “a boon” as it has been 13 years since the last renovation.
He said the restoration, slated for 2019, would create a “revival” by attracting more people to visit.
The four other recipients of the restoration fund this year are the Al-Abrar Mosque, Chesed-El Synagogue, Maghain Aboth Synagogue and Thian Hock Keng temple.
Maintenance funds will also be disbursed to the Armenian Church of St Gregory, Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Hajjah Fatimah Mosque, Lian Shan Shuang Lin Monastery, St George’s Church and St Joseph’s Church.
The scope of the maintenance fund was also expanded this year to include the “maintenance of vegetation” on or nearby monuments. Previously, only the removal of vegetation was qualified for co-funding.
“With their (the stakeholders’) feedback, we have constantly expanded the scope of work that may be considered to be covered by the grant, so as to ensure it is user-friendly,” said Ms Jean Wee, director of the Preservation of Sites and Monuments at the NHB.
Since its establishment in 2008, the fund has disbursed S$6.6 million for restoration and maintenance efforts.
To qualify for funding, monuments must be owned and managed by a non-profit or religious organisation, accessible to the public, and able to finance the works before applying for subsidies.
Of the 72 structures that have been gazetted as national monuments, 31 are eligible for the fund. Out of that, 27 have benefitted from it.
“I see the outcomes of the fund as a win-win situation: the community gets to worship at a restored or refreshed monument, and my team and I get a better understanding of the built material and the solutions that are tested, to ensure they will be well preserved for future generations,” added Ms Wee.
