The Center School on a clear day in Alna. Built in 1796 the school is currently setup as a museum for people to visit. The Fund to Support Historic Alna hopes to raise money to reinstall the cupola, bell and restore the weathervane (Photo courtesy Fund to Support Historic Alna)
A new nonprofit in Alna is looking to repair and preserve historic buildings in the town, some of which have stood for more than two centuries.
The nonprofit called Fund to Support Historic Alna was created in 2022 with a mission to pursue funding for three of the four historical buildings the town currently owns. The three buildings the organization is focusing on are the Alna Meetinghouse, the Puddle Dock School, and the Center School.
Alna Select Board Chair Ed Pentaleri is the treasurer and one of the founding members of the new nonprofit. Pentaleri said having an organization classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) allows the organization to pursue a wider range of grant opportunities. The nonprofit status also allows anyone to make tax deductable donations.
“It opens up avenues of funding that are only available to nonprofits,” Pentaleri said.
Pentaleri announced the fund during a select board meeting at the Alna town office Wednesday, Feb. 22. During the meeting, Pentaleri said the purpose of the fund is to complement funding already provided by Alna taxpayers.
Repairs the fund is determined to address are outlined on the organization’s website, historicalna.org.
The oldest of the three buildings, The Alna Meetinghouse was erected in 1789, five years before Alna was first incorporated. Over 200 years since its construction, damages to the building are an estimated $13,400. Identified repairs include replacing rotting clapboards along the north side wall, and repairing window casings, corner boards, crown moulding, and new paint.
According to Pentaleri, in addition to the building’s historical value, it is still in use as a place for musical performances, weddings, and town meetings during the warmer seasons of the year.
Erected around 1796, the Center School is one of six original one-room school houses in Alna and one of four that remains standing. Currently the building has needs estimated to cost $14,870 including reinstalling the cupola and the bell, and restoring the weathervane.
According to historicalna.org the cupola has been rebuilt and is ready to be reinstalled. Other projects the fund has planned for the school include repairs to the sill beneath the entry door and replacing the rotting window sills and stops. Estimates on the potential cost for these projects were not available.
The youngest of the three buildings is the Puddle Dock School, built around 1874. Identified needs include addressing water damage caused by a leak in the chimney.
The fourth historic building owned by Alna is the North Meeting House, also known as the Head Tide Church, built in 1838. A nonprofit organization called Friends of Head Tide Church manages and maintains the building. Pentaleri encouraged people to donate to both organizations.
“We are not competing with them or want to take any source of funds,” Pentaleri said.
Pentaleri said he has been thinking about creating an organization to preserve historical buildings in Alna for the past few years. He said he wanted to replace a nonprofit the town had years ago with a similar mission of preserving historical buildings in Alna.
Pentaleri said he hopes the Fund to Support Historic Alna will continue on as long as the buildings are standing and need repairs.
“Just like when you own a house, you get one thing done and you start on the next,” he said.
For more information, or to make donations to the Fund to Support Historic Alna, go to histroicalna.org.
