History will be on the move through the streets of Belmont when the Gale School is moved to its new home on July 21 and 22.
The Save Our Gale School committee, which has worked with the town of Belmont to preserve the 125-year old building for over two decades, has partnered with several contractors who have donated their services to move the building from behind Belmont Middle School, where it currently sits, to a lot on Concord Street, which was donated to the group last fall.
Woodbury Fogg, a committee member, expects the move to take two days – one to get the school off temporary support jacks and down the hill, and another to get the building across Concord Street and placed onto its new foundation, which has been under construction for the past several weeks.
The Gale School building has not been used by the Shaker Regional School District since 1997. Belmont residents have long shown support for preserving the school building, but have struggled to create an affordable plan to preserve and move the historic structure. Fogg credits the donation of the Concord Street lot last year and the assistance of local construction services and contractors as two factors that finally put the community’s dream within reach.
The school district will continue its ownership of the building until the day of the move, when the Save Our Gale School committee will purchase the building for $1 under a previous agreement.
Once the building is moved to its new home, Lakes Region Community Developers will take over the building. The organization, an affordable housing and community service developer in Laconia, will rehabilitate the building and secure a tenant for the space. Carmen Lorentz, the organization’s executive director, hopes to continue the building’s educational legacy and use the space as either a child care facility or a senior center, two facilities Lorentz says the community urgently needs.