NEW GLOUCESTER – The outside of the New Gloucester Town Hall will get a needed face-lift complete with new cedar clapboards and fresh New Gloucester yellow paint, selectmen agreed Monday.

Ironwood Construction Inc. of Portland was awarded the contract for $90,575, which includes replacing 96 square feet of exterior sheathing and cedar clapboards.

Several years ago voters refused to allow selectmen to apply vinyl siding to the building located in historic Lower Gloucester village.

The area was designated in 1974 and listed as a National Federal Historic Village.

Selectmen had waited for other repairs to the century-old building to be completed first before tackling the exterior, which has peeling and faded paint.

The work will begin immediately.

The project must be completed by May 30, 2004. Selectmen mandated that no construction work occur from Nov. 15, 2003, to March 15, 2004, unless there is unseasonably warm weather this fall.

The clapboards come pre-primed from the factory and have an extended warranty.

Over the past several years voters have approved costly renovations to the town hall that include an air quality exchange system, new windows, interior painting and new carpets and storage upgrades, electrical work and a new furnace.

However, the second story of the building remains closed and not open to the public without handicapped access.

In other business, selectmen approved some technical changes to standards for the New Gloucester Fire Department that match requests from the Cumberland County Regional Communication for automatic aid issues and Cumberland Chiefs Association.

In addition, a redraft of a fire alarm ordinance that no longer includes private residences was reviewed and needs further refinement, the board agreed.

Selectmen denied a request to use the Meeting House by an out-of-town entity. A policy spells out that the meeting house can be used by New Gloucester residents once per month with two week advance notice if the purpose is for recreation or education.

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