The Holden Town Hall has undergone a series of exterior and interior improvements aimed at addressing years of deferred maintenance, improving accessibility and updating portions of the historic building.

According to Town Manager Peter Lukes, the project is expected to cost approximately $586,000. The work included lead paint removal and hazardous-material disposal, new historically accurate wood shutters and doors, replacement of deteriorated siding, a new fire escape, a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant concrete ramp and railing, a new first-floor heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, as well as exterior and interior painting.

The project was initially intended to include both Town Hall and the Damon House at 1174 Main St. At the 2025 Annual Town Meeting, $600,000 was appropriated through borrowing for the work.

However, initial price quotes showed the town could not complete both buildings within the appropriation without significantly limiting the scope of the work.

“Because the buildings are so damp [with dirt basements], exterior painting would begin to peel fairly quickly unless we did a thorough job with full scraping and sanding down to mostly wood with significant priming and painting to follow,” Lukes said.

Town Hall also required substantial carpentry work because of deteriorated clapboards throughout the exterior. As a result, town officials decided to concentrate the available funding on Town Hall, leaving work on the Damon House to be addressed at a later date.

The Town Hall’s front doors, which Lukes said were at least 100 years old, were among the improvements. The doors had been patched and repaired several times over the past two decades but had continued to deteriorate.

“We patched and bandaged them several times over the last twenty years, but they were very tired and there was not much more we could do before they became dilapidated,” Lukes said.

The building’s former air-conditioning units also contributed to maintenance problems. The box units had protruded from the exterior for at least 40 years, and deteriorated frames allowed snow to enter the building during the winter, as well as pests and rodents at times. They were replaced with modern interior mini-split units.

The renovation also included the installation of new shutters, which Lukes described as a historically accurate addition, as well as painting of the exterior walls, windowpanes, doors and fire escape.

Accessibility was another component of the project. The ramp at the back of the building was deteriorating and did not meet current ADA regulations. The new concrete ramp features metal railings and is now fully ADA compliant.

Interior painting was completed in several areas, including the conference room, Veterans Agent’s Office, and elevator vestibule.

The work is part of a broader effort to upgrade Town Hall. Previous improvements included a kitchenette, employee lunchroom and dedicated copy room, funded through a wellness grant from the town’s insurance company.

Further improvements are planned this fall. The Holden Garden Club will re-landscape the Town Hall’s front lawn and remove some shrubbery and small trees. A Gold Star/Blue Star Memorial mini-park will be created with new pavers, stone benches, and additional floral landscaping. According to Lukes, that work will be funded entirely through private donations.