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PHOTO: Deputy Augusta City Planner Betsy Poulin introduces the KHS building expansion project with a rendering of the final product in the background. (Rich Eastman photo)
AUGUSTA — The Kennebec Historical Society received unanimous approval of their application to construct a building addition and additional parking from the city of Augusta’s Planning BoardJuly 14.
In January 2018, the KHS Board of Directors formed a Carriage House Expansion Committee to address the shortage of archive space because of the numerous recent donations to the society’s collection. The committee met numerous times and explored many options, including the possibility of buying the house next door. Ultimately, the committee concluded that expanding the current building was the best way to proceed, and KHS engaged E.S. Coffin Engineering and Surveying to develop the plans for the proposed addition to KHS headquarters the Henry Weld Fuller Jr. house.
KHS President Patsy Crockett spoke about the need for the addition and the process that led to the application for expansion. She told the planning board about the countless committee meetings where plans were developed, talking with community members and historic building experts, and about meeting with the West Side Neighborhood and the Augusta Historic Review Board.
“After meeting with these groups, we took their suggestions under review and incorporated them into the design, such as creating more green space by reducing the number of parking spots originally planned,” Crockett said.
Emily Schroeder, the society’s archivist, presented a slideshow of images that highlighted the crowding and lack of space in the headquarters. The presentation included several pictures of rooms with collection materials stored in them because there is no space in the climate-controlled archive. Even within the archive, there are rolling carts filled with collection material that rest in between the shelving. “We really need more space to house the history of Kennebec County,” Schroeder said.
Many community members and neighbors spoke in favor of the project and support for the society’s goal of preserving Kennebec County’s history. The few who spoke in opposition to the plans were concerned with the amount of parking and the sheer size of the addition. They questioned the need for so much space when the popular trend is to digitize paper records. Rich Eastman, the society’s Collection Committee co-chair, pointed out the necessity for original records when doing research as the quality of scanners and the transcribing process can be troublesome.
Eastman said, “The need for original documents in genealogical and historical research is paramount to preserving the past. It is not enough to see the text or image, one must feel the material and get a closer look at text styles to do proper transcription, a necessity that is lost in digitization.
James Coffin of Coffin Engineering reviewed the design with the Planning Board. Coffin noted that the society listened to the neighborhood concerns and that the current design addresses many of those concerns.
The plans, as well as tours of society headquarters are available by calling 207-622-7718 or emailing at kennhis1891@gmail.com.
