NORWAY – Two grants awarded to the First Universalist Church of Norway will allow for improvements to one of the town’s most historic properties.

“It was just wonderful to get some help,” the Rev. Joy Gasta said of the grants, which totaled $12,670.

Expected improvements as a result of the grants have been a long time coming, she said. “It’s been at least 14 years that the church has been saving money.”

The smaller grant, for $2,670, was awarded by the Unitarian Universalist Northeast District as a chalice lighter grant, according to the church’s newsletter. It was used for upgrades to the church driveway.

The parking lot was paved but needed work, Gasta said. “Even more important was the size – we’ve added 10 or 12 spaces,” she said. This will help not only with parking for Sunday services but also for community events at the church at 479 Main St.

Sallie Nealand, chairman of the church board of trustees, said the second grant, for $10,000, was awarded for historic preservation.

The church is in the Norway Historic District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Debbie Wyman, Norway community development director, helped secure the grant, Nealand said. Wyman could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The grant will be used for improvements to the church and its parsonage, the Blake House, which stands beside the church at 481 Main St.

“We’re not doing this because we’re a church as much as because we’re part of the history of Norway,” Nealand stressed. “I think the reason we have the grant is because we have one of the oldest buildings in town.”

The church and parsonage serve as historic bookends to Main Street, she said.

According to Gasta, the church was built around 1804, shortly after the congregation formed in 1799.

A new roof, a new front door and freshly painted shutters will be among the Blake House improvements. Some of this work, Gasta said, will have to wait until spring.

But some won’t. Cynthia Seavey of Denmark was busy Tuesday planting a new garden at the church entrance.

Seavey was a professional gardener until she retired four years ago, and she has already logged several hours in her effort to improve the lawn. On Tuesday, she was planting small shrubs, bulbs and flowering plants.

“It is Japanese, but actually it combines with the English dooryard garden,” she said. “It’s a welcoming garden.”

The plantings, Seavey said, will be covered by the improvement grants.