Steeple of the Stewart Library Building

If you have driven through Corinna in the past few days, looking up and to the west, you will see the steeple of the Stewart Library Building sporting a blue jacket. Really, it’s blue tarp material covering the areas where the slate shingles have been removed for repair or replacement.

A slate roof is by far the longest lasting roofing material but it does require periodic maintenance. We do not know of the last time the steeple was maintained or if it has ever been given this kind of treatment. The wood structure of the steeple is in serious disrepair, much worse than originally thought. The selectmen decided that if work was to be done on the steeple, it should be a complete restoration. They deserve credit for not letting this once in a lifetime opportunity pass by.

We have been told by architects, structural engineers, and preservationist that if we do this job of renovating and preserving the building correctly it can last for at least another hundred years. That is one of our goals. Another is to increase the use of the building so it can regain its place at the center of our community.