Sangerville pursues $500,000 grant for town hall restoration

SANGERVILLE — The town hall committee and Sangerville Historical Society are exploring funding opportunities for rehabilitating the building, and are applying for a grant..

The town hall, built in 1901 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been vacant for several years due to safety hazards. Fundraising efforts are underway to restore the structure. In the interim, the town office has moved across the street into rented space, paying $1,700 a month at 93 Main St. 

A $500,000 Maine Historic Community Building Grant application is due next month, Town Manager Brian Mullis said during a Sept. 16 Select Board meeting at the fire station.  Earlier this year Sangerville had its application for a $250,000 grant for the town hall turned down.

“We’ve had a really great collaborative effort here,” he said, mentioning the committee and historical society and others. 

The application is nearly complete. 

“We’re just basically into t crossing and i dotting,” Mullis said.

Last month, the Sangerville Historical Society pledged to sell its museum property at 9 Douty Hill Road to cover the 25% match required by the Maine Historic Community Building Grant.

Three real estate agents have assessed the museum property at approximately $100,000. Pledges and other fundraisers would help net $125,000 to meet the full match requirement.

The hope is the historical society would be able to have a new home for its collection and operations in the renovated town hall, which in turn would lead to greater visibility in the building space that formerly housed the library.

Building sale proceeds can legally go toward the match requirement, Mullis said.

The historical society has raised another $25,000. Another $40,000 from in-kind labor contributed by Dennis Campbell of the committee can also be considered.

“We’re in pretty good shape but we’re still into fundraising,” Mullis said.

Cash is king, he said. The more earmarked for the project, the better the application looks.

Many residents are not on social media, so the groups have discussed sending out a mailing on the town hall renovations. The historical society could potentially cover the postage costs and volunteer labor to prepare the letters to avoid the use of any tax dollars.

An anonymous donor has contributed $19,000 already. Residents Toby and Cynthia Hall have given $1,000.

A sum of $400,000 was raised at the 2024 annual town meeting, which is now in a capital reserve account. Roof repairs have used about $42,000, which puts the account at nearly $360,000.

This amount plus a $500,000 grant and $125,000 from the historical society would equal close to $1 million.

Renovation costs depend on scope. The foundation should be secured first to restore occupancy, though upper floor work could be deferred if that section is closed. 

The foundation work was estimated around $440,000, but the amount has likely risen in recent years. Another $10,000 to $20,000 is needed to fix wiring and lighting to pass insurance inspections.

At next March’s annual town meeting, officials plan to update residents and present upcoming plans for a vote.

An application seeking $25,000 for stabilizing the stained glass windows was not successful.

These cannot be tipped because the leaded glass could buckle or crack and stabilization could cost up to $40,000.

In other business, a 1993 fire department tanker truck was scheduled to be back in service next week.

The cost would be between $8,000 and $9,000, Fire Chief Orman Gray said after another $3,500 in needed part repairs was found while the vehicle was being worked on.

Whited Ford worked on the tanker truck to give the vehicle an inspection sticker in order for it to be put back in service.

The truck, with 400,000 miles and a standard transmission, experienced problems such as oil leaks, brake issues and frame rot, and was off the road due to a failed inspection. 

Gray pursued repairs instead of buying a new truck, which could cost $580,000 and require annual payments of $70,000 for more than a decade.

The repair work by Whited Ford would ideally allow the tanker truck to last for several more years while the town decides to replace it with a new or used model. Money could be put into a reserve account year by year to help reduce the cost when a purchase is made.

The upper wall of the fire station has been damaged due to snow plowed against the building and is in need of repair.

“The upper wall of the fire station has been pushed in for quite some time,” Select Chair Jeff Peters said. “The building’s not going to fall down in the next few weeks but we have to come up with a plan to deal with this. Water’s leaking in part of the building out where the trucks are.”

Town Clerk Michelle Nichols will check with the Maine Municipal Association to see if insurance will cover the building.

If not, estimates will go to the budget committee when the group begins its work.

Mullis spoke with Danielle Gray, one of Sangerville’s four representatives on the SAD 4 School Board, who is considering stepping down due to her work and family commitments. 

“She doesn’t feel that she has the time to dedicate to the school board anymore,” Mullis said. “She’s willing to stay on the school board through Dec. 31.”

No decision was made. Should Gray resign, the Select Board can appoint someone to fill the seat. Gray’s term is set to expire in 2027.