The name of the main auditorium at the Augusta Civic Center, shown in August 2015, has been changed to the Hammond Lumber Auditorium, after city councilors voted Thursday to sell the naming rights to the business. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file

AUGUSTA — The main auditorium at the Augusta Civic Center will now be called the Hammond Lumber Auditorium, after city councilors voted unanimously Thursday to sell the naming rights to the business.

The $828,000, 10-year deal was reached after city officials sought and received the permission of the family of Paul G. Poulin, whom the auditorium was previously named for, to rename the auditorium. The main entrance to the city-owned, multi-use facility will be rededicated to Poulin, while the building itself will remain named the Augusta Civic Center.

Margaret Noel, the director of the Augusta Civic Center, said the naming rights agreement with Hammond started Friday but signs indicating the change will be installed over the next several months as they are designed, produced and delivered.

The first change that will be apparent to spectators and participants in the upcoming high school basketball tournaments in the auditorium will likely be a new Hammond Lumber logo on the playing court.

The rededication of the main entrance to Poulin will be a separate project and take place over the next year, Noel said.

Noel said Augusta will receive $83,500 a year from the company for the naming rights and other advertising at the facility, with about $50,000 annually for naming rights and the remainder for other advertising.

Noel said the deal should help the Civic Center recover financially from the pandemic more quickly, and balance the budget and fund efforts to update the facility to remain competitive for events in the longer term.

Located at 76 Community Drive, the Civic Center operates separately from the city as an enterprise fund. In years when expenses have exceeded revenue, the city’s taxpayer-funded general fund has been used to close the gap. While the Civic Center has covered its expenses some years, it has not done so since the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down most large public events and caused the facility to struggle financially.

The Paul G. Poulin Auditorium at the Augusta Civic Center is set up Feb. 24, 2024, for the Maine Principals’ Association high school basketball tournament. The naming rights for the auditorium was sold to Hammond Lumber Co., based in Belgrade, under a proposed 10-year, $828,000 deal under consideration by the Augusta City Council. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file

Several City councilors praised Noel for finding the new revenue source for the building, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2023.

“Margaret (Noel) has been working tirelessly to ensure that the Civic Center is a viable enterprise for us for the future,” said Stephanie Sienkiewicz, an at-large city councilor. “And things like this are how we’re going to keep that building afloat. So I appreciate (Noel’s) attention to detail in working with the Poulin family to make sure this is a smooth transition and that everyone gets the recognition they deserve, and also that the building can stay standing.”

Poulin served as city manager in Augusta from 1965-83. He was a key member of the committee that oversaw the construction of the Civic Center, which, when it opened in 1973, was the largest convention center north of Boston.

City Manager Jared Mills said the Poulin family suggested naming the main entrance to the Civic Center for him, after city officials approached them about allowing the auditorium to be renamed.

There is also a concept plan to use the lobby to document the history of the Civic Center. The display, which Noel said she would work with the Poulin family to create, would recognize Poulin and other members of the committee who Noel said were instrumental in the Civic Center’s creation. She said a rededication celebration will take place once that work is complete, including an unveiling of the planned history wall.

Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Judkins said he had a couple of constituents reach out to him to express concern that the work Poulin did to create the Civic Center wouldn’t be properly recognized if the auditorium were no longer named for him. He noted the Poulin family agreed to the change “wholeheartedly” and didn’t view it as disrespectful.

Ward 3 Councilor Mike Michaud said the Belgrade-based Hammond Lumber is a local business that grew to a statewide operation and has a good reputation and “we certainly welcome the Hammond Lumber Auditorium to the Augusta Civic Center.”

The deal would allow other advertising at the auditorium, but not for any of Hammond Lumber Co.’s competitors. It would not prevent the city from selling the naming rights to the entire building to another entity, though previous efforts to do so have not found takers.

Other Maine facilities have sold their naming rights, as well. In 2012, for example, Cross Insurance paid $3 million for the naming rights to the new arena in Bangor. And in 2014, Cross Insurance paid $2.5 million for a 10-year naming rights deal on the Cumberland County Civic Center.