Scarborough Land Trust is considering leasing Alger Hall from the town of Scarborough. Courtesy photo/Town of Scarborough
Historic Alger Hall, purchased by the town of Scarborough in 2020, has not seen much use. The Scarborough Land Trust would like to lease the building from the town and use it as a conservation hub where people can learn about Scarborough’s natural resources.
The Good Templars, an anti-drinking society, built Alger Hall, during the height of prohibition. Prior to the purchase by the town, it was used by the Grange and most recently was a Masonic Lodge building.
The trust recently made a presentation to the Town Council about its hope to lease the property.
Many councilors said they thought leasing the building to the SLT was a good idea.
Town Manager Thomas Hall said feedback from the council was needed before the lease would be considered.
“We want to get feedback from the full Town Council before defining what the next steps are,” Hall said. “I did take the liberty to put together some very draft terms of a kind of conceptual arrangement. These are my thoughts; many of them have been talked about, not necessarily agreed upon. This is not a done deal.”
“We acquired this building back in 2020 for two reasons,” he said, “to protect our interests and to appreciate the deep history this building has had in this community.”
“The council at the time saw the value and land funds were used to acquire the building,” Hall said. “We did do some basic improvements including a new roof, new boiler and some foundation repairs to kind of secure the structure but we stopped there.”
Hall said the town does not need the building. “We’ve done a very thorough evaluation of town needs and have identified that, as it currently sits, its size and location and other attributes serve no immediate municipal purpose,” he said.
Executive Director the SLT Andrew Mackie said he would like the organization lease Alger Hall to become a conservation hub. “We see this as a long-term partnership with the town. This building will be a conservation hub for Scarborough, It will become a place where people can come and connect to the natural world to learn more about it. We will have programs here. We will have meetings here. We’ll have our office space and storage here. But there will also be another avenue, it will be a place that someone can just stop in and learn more about the natural resources of Scarborough whether its Scarborough Marsh, trails, hunting opportunities, whatever it is, we hope to have that possibility here of really informing and educating not only the residents of Scarborough but the visitors to Scarborough.”
Renovations to the building, Mackie said, would include, painting, replacing lighting with energy efficient lighting, remove/replace the carpet, equip the front entrance with a ramp, landscaping, and making the restroom ADA compliant.
A stained glass window in the building will be given to a Masonic lodge in Old Orchard Beach, he said.
Overall, councilors thought that having the trust lease the space was a good idea.
“Personally, I think this is a great use of the space,” Councilor Jean-Marie Caterina said. “I’m very happy to see this proposal before us. I’m hopeful that you would also consider letting other groups use the space.”
Mackie said he has discussed the possibility of the Scarborough Historical Society also using the space.
“Thanks for bringing this forward and congratulations on the work that you’ve done so far to help us maintain open spaces,” Councilor Don Hamill said.
“I can’t think of a better tenant than somebody like the SLT who would be there, be a good partner for us, partner with the fire station and the historical society,” Councilor Jon Anderson said. “So I really like the idea of you guys being the tenants.
“I’m thrilled to have someone that is a 501c3 using it opposed to a for-profit company,” Councilor Caterina said.
Councilors said they would like to see the project go forward.
“Let’s see another proposal come around to us again,” Council Chair Nick McGee said. “Hopefully, you have some productive negotiations. And good luck.”
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