The Edgecomb Town Hall's moisture problems could finally be coming to an end. Griffin Construction of Edgecomb dug up the earth around the building's south side the week of July 23 and began installing pipes and other materials to drain water away from the building.

The project should be the last step needed to keep the Route 27 building dry when the town has major rainfalls, Selectman Jack Sarmanian said.

At times in the last several years, so much water would get in during storms that Sarmanian had to call in a moisture removal company to pump out water and dry the building's lower floor. Then in 2010, Griffin Construction improved drainage on the building's north side. That work, along with replacement of some windows, resolved most of the issues, Sarmanian said.

Some water has still managed to get in. According to minutes of the Edgecomb Selectmen’s meetings in 2011 and 2012, water got into the furnace room and covered the kitchen floor in late winter 2011, and a spring 2012 storm of more than 7 inches of rain left new water damage behind Town Clerk Claudia Coffin’s desk.

The latest round of drainage work was needed to avoid the risk of significant damage to the office area, Sarmanian said in a July 26 interview.

Past drainage and window work, as well as the services to dry the approximately 218-year-old building, have totaled thousands of dollars. The cost of the latest project was not yet determined, but will be covered by the maintenance budget for the building, Sarmanian said.