Town Hall Renovation Project

A Journey of Restoration

The Town Hall was forced to close due to serious structural damage, and the initial repair estimates were daunting. Faced with the painful choice of raising over a million dollars for repairs or tearing it down, residents voiced their desire to save the building but worried about the burden of higher taxes. Hope arrived when changes to the CMP TIF rules allowed funds to be allocated to the project. Combined with a $75,000 grant and money from the Town Hall reserve, the restoration effort began. Thanks to countless hours of hard work and dedication, the Town Hall now stands once again as the pride of Bowdoinham.

Restoration work began in August 2024. The building was carefully lifted so that a new foundation could be poured, setting the stage for a remarkable transformation. The flooring, subfloor structure and stage were removed.  Historic beams were repaired, sills were replaced, and a new subfloor structure and flooring were installed.  From there, the transformation continued as the siding, windows and roof were replaced with 2” foam board insulation, LP siding, architectural shingles and energy efficient windows.  Inside, a new electrical system, lighting, and plumbing were installed and a kitchenette was created.  The restoration was completed with a fresh coat of paint.  Over the past year, crews have worked tirelessly to bring the Hall back to life.  

Today, the restored Town Hall features:

  • A beautiful new floor
  • Freshly painted walls and ceilings
  • Energy-efficient windows
  • Modern heat pumps
  • Updated electrical and lighting systems
  • New insulation, siding and roof
  • A kitchenette

 

Thank You to Our Project Partners

This restoration would not have been possible without the incredible talent and dedication of our contractors and contributors:

  • R.H Construction LLC – General Contractor
  • Calderwood Engineering – Engineering
  • MJF Enterprises – Project Management
  • Tourtelotte Excavating – Excavation
  • Cobb & Sons – Building Lift
  • Holloway Concrete – Foundation
  • Williams Construction – Sills, Undercarriage, Floor System
  • Colonial Hardwoods – Hardwood Floors
  • C.L Painting LLC – Painting
  • Fat Andy’s Hardwood – Custom Historic Woodwork
  • Rodrigue Carpentry LLC – Siding & Windows
  • Curtis N’ Sons Construction LLC – Roofing
  • North Shore – Plumbing
  • Mark Newcombe – Welding (Chair Racks & Handrails)
  • Builders Insulation – Basement Insulation
  • Mortimer LaPointe Woodworking – Door Restoration
  • Frederick Electric – Electrical & Lighting
  • CZ Plumbing & FW Webb Company – Heat Pumps
  • InfoTech Maine – WiFi Installation
  • Albert Stehle – Chimney Removal

 

What’s Still Ahead

Thanks to the generosity and hard work of our community, our beloved Town Hall has reopened its doors — but a few important finishing touches remain. We’re now raising funds for the final phase of our restoration, including:

  • Painting the tower steeple - preserving its beauty and historic character
  • Acoustic enhancements - ensuring the Hall sounds as good as it looks
  • Landscaping around the building - welcoming all to come in

To complete these improvements, we aim to raise approximately $25,000. Your continued support, whether through donations, volunteer work, or spreading the word will help us bring this project to full completion.

 

Donations!  

Donations can be delivered or mailed to the Bowdoinham Town Office, Attn: Admin Assistant, 13 School Street, Bowdoinham. Contributions can also be made Online (there is a fee for online payment processing).  

Donors contributing $500 or more will be honored on The Legacy Wall — a permanent plaque in the Town Hall celebrating the generosity that made its restoration possible. 

Thank you for your support!

 

 

Thank you to Bowdoinham Public Library for obtaining a grant for the production of this video and to Rebecca Conley of Boco Video Production for producing the video.