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LOVELL — Thanks to a grant from Grants to Green and the support of generous donors to the Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, in December the historic windows in the original 1908 library structure were restored and foam as well as cellulose added to its cold attics.
The Grants to Green program is jointly administered by the Maine Community Foundation, Maine Development Foundation and Efficiency Maine to provide environmentally focused knowledge and funding to eligible nonprofits throughout the state.
The grant awarded to the library in June was based on an energy audit conducted in February 2016, which provided a detailed blueprint for energy savings improvements. The library building committee selected those measures with the highest priority and most favorable return on investment.
The cost of these improvements totaled $24,000, and the Maine Community Foundation provided half the cost under its Grants to Green program. Over the course of the summer a successful fundraising campaign from library supporters raised the necessary match to allow the work to begin.
Bagala Window Works of Westbrook was chosen to restore the historic windows, replacing glass, repairing the frames, and fixing the ropes and counterweights. Paint and stain colors for the windows and sills were matched to the 1908 original colors.
Bagala has won awards for historic preservation and has worked throughout Maine, including restoring windows at the Longfellow House in Portland and the Colby College Chapel in Waterville.
NorthEast Spray Insulation of Westbrook added foam insulation to walls, sills and attic roofs in order to tighten the library envelope. Additional cellulose was applied to increase the R-value in the 1975 library addition.
With the work completed the library hopes to save approximately $1,600 a year in energy costs. Each dollar saved is money that can now be directed to community programs and library resources.
PHOTO CAPTION: Carl Bagala from Bagala Window Works of Westbrook Me installs restored windows in The Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library.
