Objective: To restore and preserve the steeple of First Universalist Church, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

After consulting with various historic preservation experts, steeplejacks, and structural engineers, we have secured the cooperation of highly qualified Maine craftsmen to restore the steeple.

Arron Sturgis of Preservation Timber Framing will lead the conservation work, collaborating with two Maine contractors —Taggart Construction and Mid-Maine Restoration. The project will be done in four phases:

Phase One: Stabilize the belfry and document the construction details of the spire. Remove the spire and mount it in the church yard in preparation for its restoration. To be completed August 30, 2006.

Phase Two: Restore the belfry in place. With staging erected, the sheathing and trim will be inspected, and then preserved where possible and restored with matching wood species where necessary. The corner posts will be stabilized and reinforced where necessary. Copper flashing and new roofing will be installed to prevent water leakage.

Phase Three: Restore the spire on the ground. Trim and sheathing will be removed and conserved as much as possible, replaced in kind when necessary. Steps will be taken to preserve the integrity of the spire’s sheathing with like wood species, strengthening the existing materials. Painted surfaces will be protected, abating the original lead paint, then priming and repainting with new paint.

Phase Four: Remove/abate original lead paint from the belfry, and then prime and repaint all surfaces. Reinstall the spire atop the church.

All work will be guided by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.