The nearly 100-year-old windows in the front of the Hancock Town Library are scheduled to undergo a historically sensitive restoration to make them more energy efficient thanks to a 2021 Conservation Moose Plate grant.
The front part of the library was built as an addition in the 1920s, librarian Amy Markus said, with big, old-fashioned windows that have counterweights for opening and closing them. “They’re historic and they’re beautiful,” she said, but not terribly energy efficient. The front room is uncomfortably cold in the winter and uncomfortably hot in the summer, which affects the amount of oil and electricity devoted to heating and cooling, she said. The $4200 afforded by the grant will allow antique window specialists Winn Mountain Restorations of Peterborough to make the windows tighter and more energy efficient without sacrificing their historic value and function, starting this spring. “We can’t wait,” Markus said.
The grants are funded by the sale of New Hampshire Conservation and Heritage License plates, otherwise known as “moose plates,” the purchase of which sends $30 to the NH Conservation and Heritage Program for every year the plate stays on a vehicle. Grants are awarded to projects supporting the state’s natural, cultural, and historical resources. The library’s age and historical status factored in to the application’s success, Markus said, and that even if the grant amount doesn’t seem like much, it means “a lot” to a small town library. This was the first time the Hancock library applied for a moose plate grant, she said, and the grant administrators were helpful and patient throughout the process. “It’s a great program,” she said, “It really does go to really great projects.”