ENFIELD CENTER — Supporters of the historic Enfield Center Town House say they’re not backing down from efforts to save the circa-1845 building after being warned that restoration could be a costly and politically fraught endeavor.
“My hopes for the building are, of course, to see it fully restored and to see it put back into active use,” Selectboard member Meredith Smith said on Wednesday. “Right now, the immediate goal is to shore up the building to prevent further deterioration.”
Smith, who has pushed for restoration of the Town House for 15 years, said she was disappointed to hear of the building’s structural problems last month. That’s when White River Junction architect Jay Barrett presented his findings on the health of Enfield’s 11 town-owned buildings.
Barrett told a crowd of about 40 people that the Town House on Route 4A is structurally unsound. Beset by flooding from a nearby brook, its floors are rotted and in danger of collapse, he said.
“I think that this is a building that deserves a separate, very thorough discussion and some agreement and discussion among the community as to its future,” Barrett said, cautioning the town against pairing a potential renovation project with proposals to build a new emergency services facility or town hall.
Saving the Town House could become a “lightning rod” and draw attention away from more pressing needs, such as the $6.7 million proposal to create two new town buildings, Barrett, a former Fairlee Selectboard member, said on Wednesday.
Barrett said he’s heard from several town residents who agree with that assessment and worry that focusing on restoration of the Town House could politically jeopardize an upcoming effort to evaluate town buildings. Others ask what the former town hall could be used for, if money is made available, he said.
The Town House, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places two years ago, is in “extremely poor” condition and isn’t safe for the general public, according to a December report authored by Timothy Schaal, a Wilder-based structural engineer.
Schaal, who visited the building with Barrett twice last year, found extensive rot and areas of failure in the first floor framing, poor drainage from the crawl space underneath the building, extensive mold, and possible roof leakage.
In a March 14 memo to town officials, Barrett referred to the Town House as a “little gem of a historic building” that is “very much intact, still relevant and uniquely worthy” of saving.
“However, with that said, it has become painfully apparent to me that to properly preserve this special property is no simple task, nor for the faint of heart, as it were,” he wrote.
Barrett then went on to detail five steps the town should consider to save the structure, starting with the purchase of surrounding land to provide better access to the site and parking.
The Town House sits on a small, 5,600-square-foot lot with no parking lot. In the past, people were required to park at the nearby Union Church of Enfield Center to attend events.
The town should then move the building away from the brook and onto a new foundation, construct a new parking lot, well and wastewater system and install electrical service, Barrett recommended.
Overall, he expects the cost to fully restore the building will be $690,000 and suggests the town then create a capital fund or endowment to provide for future maintenance and upkeep.
However, town officials are looking to start smaller and soon will issue a request for proposals looking for help to stabilize the building. Money for that effort would come from a $10,000 grant from the New Hampshire conservation license plate program, according to Town Manager Ryan Aylesworth.
He said Enfield’s newly formed Municipal Facilities Advisory Committee also will discuss options for the Town House as it looks to evaluate Barrett’s report and proposal for new municipal buildings.
Smith, the Selectboard member, also hopes the public will continue to offer assistance and show support for the building.
She pointed out that it was after a community meeting last year that Barrett offered to help.
“I hope that eventually enough people will come forward and express an interest in the building and we can collectively come to a solution and save it,” she said.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.