Chris Bell, left, and Dustin Dangler remove a bent storm window frame Friday at the Hubbard Free Library on Second Street in Hallowell. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

HALLOWELL — Two storm panels covering a stained-glass window from 1880 at the Hubbard Free Library were severely damaged during two late 2022 storms, and while the stained-glass window itself is unscathed, it could take several months to replace the protective barriers.

Ken Young, president of the library’s Board of Trustees, said the affected storm panels covered the left and right halves of a triangular stained-glass window on the Second Street side of the building.

The overall cost of repairs, most of which will be covered by the library’s insurance, is estimated to be around $10,000, Young said.

The stained-glass window that had its bent storm panel frame removed, is seen from inside the Hubbard Free Library on Second Street in Hallowell on Friday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

The first storm that caused damage, according to Young, did so on Nov. 30 around 5:30 p.m.

“The right storm panel became detached from its attachment to the space and got twisted up, and two of the big glass panels shattered and fell to the ground,” he said, adding that just two hours later the mayor, city manager and a librarian all arrived on the scene to help.

“(Mayor) George Lapointe got his ladder, and he climbed and brought down one of those panels and tied the framework off,” said Young. “It was a classic dark and stormy night. It was blowing hard; fortunately it warm. It was raining cats and dogs, and by 8:15 or so we’d gotten it secured and went home and warmed up.”

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But less than a month later, on Dec. 23, another storm destroyed the left panel.

“It fell to the ground,” said Young. “Various metal parts broke. Fortunately most of the glass survived the fall to the ground.”

Since then, library officials submitted two claims to their insurance company, Gosline Insurance Group. The library will have to pay a $1,000 deductible for each of the incidents, or $2,000 total, Young said, but Gosline agreed to cover the rest of the repairs.

The library, located at 115 Second St., is partially funded by the city. Of its $137,466 budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, $54,827 comes from the city, according to Director Annemarie Kromhout.

Chris Bell, left, and Dustin Dangler remove a bent storm window frame Friday at the Hubbard Free Library on Second Street in Hallowell. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Repairs will be handled by O&P Glass of Augusta, which removed the remnants of the two storm panels with a 60-foot hydraulic lift on Friday. The company will determine if the panels can be repaired or if they need to be refabricated.

Less than two years ago, four window panels were destroyed at the library in a case of suspected vandalism. The damage cost roughly $4,500 to repair.

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“The glass is so expensive because it’s tempered, like a glass in a car windshield that shatters into popcorn-sized pieces when (it’s) impacted,” he said.

Because the frames were custom-built by a firm in Rhode Island, Young said it may be three to six months until they are able to put the storm glass back up.

In the interim, Young said it’s unclear what will happen to the stained-glass window, but that O&P Glass workers will figure this out once they are able to perform a more detailed assessment.

“They’ll try to figure out whether it’s possible to cover it, and what would be involved,” he said. “It’s undetermined at the present time.”

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