FARMINGTON – The slate roof on the Farmington Public Library has sheltered the building for more than 100 years but needs to be replaced, Librarian Melanie Taylor Coombs said Wednesday.

Library trustees have been concerned about the roof, but other issues needed attention first, including a heating system, water damage from an ice build-up that closed the library for a month in February 2007, and replacement of the dome last summer, said Richard Morton, Library Association treasurer.

A roof inspection found structural damage, including dry-rot and deterioration. With heating and ventilation costs rising, the roof needs to be done now, Coombs said.

A crew from Hahnel Brothers of Lewiston will begin the work in June and the library’s 11 trustees will meet to finalize plans for a $200,000 fundraising campaign. That includes a $50,000 expense with the sky light. Any leftover funds will go into a special account to maintain the beauty of the library, she said.

Fundraising will probably begin by the first of July and be completed by the end of the year, Morton said, although gifts can be set up to stretch into 2009.

“The library belongs to the people of Farmington,” Morton said. “It’s not part of the governmental process – although (government) helps – the library belongs to the community and we’re asking the community to get behind it and help preserve and keep it. It has survived on gifts from the community and the efforts of the trustees and staff.”

The town pays salaries and insurance for library employees but for more than 100 years, the inventory and maintenance costs have come from endowments to the Library Association, Morton said.

Fundraising for the roof will help safeguard the endowments for operating costs, although a short-term loan may be necessary to finance work done this summer, he said.

With community support, there will be less borrowing and no expense for professional fundraisers, he said.

A library committee has formed, set goals, determined which grants to apply for and are working on methods of fundraising, Coombs said.

An initial gift of $25,000 has been received for the project.

The committee is debating how to use slates taken from the roof. Some may be given to donors to the roof project.

Built near the turn of the century by the Cutler family, the library was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 because of the building’s unique architecture, Coombs said.

“I want the library to be here for future generations and to see it preserved so that 100 years from now, it still exists and is providing services for people,” Coombs said.