E. Millinocket’s office renovation nears end

EAST MILLINOCKET – Thanks to an anonymous donor, the town office auditorium now has 60 used, but free, theater seats worth at least $6,811 and the town office renovation is almost complete, officials said Tuesday.

“Someone has donated the seats, but I guess at this point they wish to be anonymous,” said Shirley Tapley, town administrative assistant. “They are excellent, in excellent shape. Brand-new, they go for $1,000 each.”

The auditorium needed 49 theater or movie theater seats to complete the small second-floor balcony overlooking the small stage and open floor, but after about two weeks of looking, Tapley couldn’t find any, so she put out a call for them.

She received several answers from the around the state for seating of varied quality before selecting the anonymous donor’s offering. The seats she received were likely the best available, Tapley said. The donor gave 60 seats, with the additional seats to be saved as spares.

The Public Works Department started the installation process this week and expects to have it finished by the auditorium’s grand opening scheduled for 5 p.m. May 14, Tapley said.

Howland Construction Inc. of Houlton won the contract on the job in mid-December. It has been modernizing and rebuilding the Main Street building’s auditorium, lobby, hardwood floor, stage and balcony areas, putting on a fresh coat of paint in shades of gold and installing new insulation while restoring the building’s historic character.

The suspended ceiling and lights have been removed and molding and other woodwork have been refinished.

“I love it. The wow effect is great with it. It’s a beautiful room,” Tapley said of the renovation. “Everything looks new. For an old floor it came out beautifully. The stage area and balcony area just make the room. It’s as close to original condition as we can get it.”

On the first floor are the town clerk and administrative offices, a dance floor and restrooms. The town’s recreation department and a banquet room are in the basement.

The auditorium is rented for parties, weddings, conferences and other occasions, and the rental fees and other expenses go into town coffers. Karate classes also are held there.

It was budgeted at about $83,000, but the renovation will come in at about $124,000, an overage caused, Tapley said, by the discovery of electrical problems and by selectmen adding additional fixes to the job.

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