Bowdoinham’s historic Town Hall is finally getting much-needed repairs as the town prepares to lift the structure and start fixing the foundation.

According to Town Manager Nicole Briand, the building is expected to be lifted sometime next week. The process is expected to take a couple of days. This will allow crews to repair the crumbling fieldstone and granite foundation with concrete. Workers will also strengthen floor supports in the fall.

Briand estimates the Bowdoinham Town Hall will be put back down on its new foundation by mid-October so the town can get the parking lot paved before the winter. Depending on how much is funding is raised, Briand expects the project to last a year or two. Once the foundation is complete, the roof will be replaced.

Briand said Bowdoinham had used its Central Maine Power tax increment financing (TIF) funds, amounting to a budget of $340,000. The Bowdoinham Select Board voted 5-0 to pass the funding plan at a town meeting on June 25. The project’s total costs are unknown, but Bowdoinham has received an estimated $1.4 million from Preservation Timber Framing Inc. to restore the building.

Bowdoinham plans to raise funds through a silent auction during the town’s birthday celebration, Celebrate Bowdoinham, on Sept. 14. The goal is to raise $2,000–$3,000, depending on the items donated to the silent auction. The town is looking into other optional project funding through a few historical and energy efficiency grants.

“We will be looking to do some future renovations to update the building,” Briand said.

The town is also looking to replace the siding and renovate the interior of the Town Hall and preserve the historic building for future generations.

In 2023, the Maine Historic Preservation Commission named the Bowdoinham Town Hall one of the 10 most endangered historic sites in the state. The Town Hall was initially built as a church and village meetinghouse.

The Bowdoinham Town Hall was built in 1823. In recent history, it has served as a community center, hosting events like contra dances and plant sales.

Last year, Bowdoinham residents rejected a proposed $1 million bond to repair the Town Hall, which prompted town officials to look for different ways of financing the project. According to Briand, the last time the Town Hall was renovated was in the 1990s, when the tower was repaired.

“As we move forward with the project, we will hold meetings to gather input and get some ideas on what folks want to see,” Briand said.