FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — An Aroostook town will get recommendations on how to save energy costs in its aging municipal buildings thanks to a state award.
Fort Fairfield is one of 14 Maine communities awarded technical assistance in the Community Resilience Partnership Energy Efficiency Planning for Rural Communities program, offered through the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future.
It’s a long name, but it means Fort Fairfield will get help to evaluate two of its older buildings and determine how to improve energy efficiency, Town Manager Tim Goff said Thursday. The town is the only community north of Ellsworth to be awarded.
“Where do we start? That’s been the question that we’ve had as we’ve dug into these buildings, and said how do we update them in the best way with limited tax dollars,” Goff said. “A project like this should give us some real concrete answers as to what we should invest in.”
The audit will cost the town nothing and will examine the decades-old community center and town office building, once an armory, and its public works garage that was transformed from a potato packing shed.
Goff finished the extensive application process last fall, he said, and learned last week that Fort Fairfield had been selected. The work will be performed between now and September 2026, he said.
Nearly every community in Maine is dealing with aging infrastructure, and Fort Fairfield has its share, Goff said. Built more than 70 years ago, the town office building also houses the police station, and a piece was later added for a community center and gym.
The builders of the armory weren’t thinking of energy efficiency and the roof was actually designed for heat loss to help melt and shed snow so the roof doesn’t collapse, he said. Today, that kind of heat loss isn’t acceptable.
Replacing that roof would cost millions, he said. Unless grant funding could be obtained, the town has to make energy efficiency upgrades it can afford.
“One of the capital improvement plans we had was replacing all the doors at the community center gym. The front room is so cold the heat never stops,” he said.
To qualify for the technical assistance program, communities have to have fewer than 10,000 residents and must be part of the Community Resilience Partnership, according to the Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. Fort Fairfield was one of the partnership’s pilot communities.
Communities can receive technical assistance for up to six public buildings, program guidelines state. Consultants will analyze such elements as heating and air conditioning systems, lighting and other energy sources, and offer EnergyStar training for staff. The audit will also provide a detailed list of suggested energy efficiency improvements with cost estimates and information on funding opportunities.
The state updated its climate action plan, “Maine Won’t Wait,” in November. Energy efficiency improvements for public buildings was among its many targets.
“Many businesses, schools, and other public buildings in Maine have outdated heating and cooling systems and leaky building envelopes. Modernizing these buildings will improve comfort and air quality while saving taxpayers and employers money on energy costs,” the report stated.
Lamoine, a town of about 1,720 people, was also chosen for the assistance program. Consultants will recommend efficiency improvements to three buildings, said Stu Marckoon, administrative assistant to the select board.
The oldest is the town hall, built in the 1890s as a school, Marckoon said. Next is the Lamoine Consolidated School, which is 51 years old, and the fire station is the newest, having been built in 1989.
The three buildings have heat pumps, but town officials hope the audit will reveal other efficiency improvements they can make.
“We’re just looking for someone who knows what they’re doing to give us suggestions on saving more money,” he said. “If we can find anything that would save heating costs, that’s good.”
Fort Fairfield town councilors authorized Goff to accept the technical assistance award on Wednesday.
The town will need to provide around two years of its energy bills for the consultants to examine, Goff said. The program will help leaders determine what projects to invest in next, whether it be LED lighting throughout the town office, replacement of the aging heating system or other upgrades.
Data from the audit will also shed light on grant opportunities that could help pay for upgrades.
“If we can have that data-driven approach that tells us what the priorities are, it makes it easy to go to the taxpayers and say, ‘This may cost X number of thousands, but it will save X number of thousands in the long run,’” he said.
