Gale School on state Register of Historic Places

BELMONT — The Save Our Gale School Committee has established an account at Franklin Savings Bank and started a GoFundMe page for donations as it works toward the August 2019 deadline for moving the 1894-era building to a new location. Previously identified as one of the 2017 Seven to Save by the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, the Gale School was named to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places on July 30.

Built by Cyris Norris, the building that has served generations of Belmont students was named the Gale School after Napoleon B. Gale, a state legislator who served in 1867 and 1868, left $10,000 to the town.

The school, built in the Queen Anne and Victorian style, remained in use until 1985, when the Shaker Regional School District opened a new elementary school. The district used the building mainly for storage after that, and began discussing other options, including razing the building.

Residents opposed to such a choice formed a committee to preserve the building in 2006, leading to the establishment of the Save Our Gale School Committee which now has official 501(c)(3) status as a federally recognized charitable organization, which allows people to make donations they can write off on their taxes.

Diane Marden serves as the committee chair, with Kenneth Knowlton as vice-chair, Brenda Paquette as treasurer, and Lisa Lord as secretary. Other members include Earl Sweeney, who completed a career with the state Department of Safety; Mark Padula, owner of Padula Landscaping; and Woodbury Fogg, a member of the Village Revitalization Committee.

The Shaker Regional School Board has agreed to let the committee move the Gale School to another property, as long as it fills in the existing lot after removing the building. While the committee had hoped to keep it at its current location, members have identified several other lots where it might be moved, although at 2,800 square feet and weighing 250 tons, moving it will not be an easy task.

“We’re looking at going over the baseball diamond to the Route 106 area where we have four potential lots,” Marden said. “We’re working with Eversource to get the line-drop cost down, and figuring out which property works best.”

The committee plans to move the historic building, built in 1894, to a new location where it can be converted into agency or professional space. The Laconia Area Land Trust has agreed to purchase the building for $1 and redevelop it, once it is on a new site.

In order to get to that point, the committee has been applying for grants to help cover the estimated $395,000 in relocation and land purchase costs. The Shaker Regional School District has agreed to provide $70,000 toward the moving costs and possibly aggregate materials to fill in the old foundation and assist with its project of creating a bus loop.

Marden said the school district has been supportive in granting access to the building, including for grant-related visits and public tours for those interested in saving the school.

“Everyone is very interested in making the project succeed,” she said.

One of the goals is to set up a new website to better explain and promote the project, as well as raise funds, she noted.

Those interested in supporting the initiative may mail donations to: Franklin Savings Bank, PO Box 339, Franklin NH 03235, attn: Save Our Gale School Fund; or donate online at www.gofundme.com/mbgkfs.