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Gordon Peaco, President of the Deertrees Theatre Board of Directors announced
in the annual appeal letter:
"As funds have become available, several improvements have
been made to the Deertrees Theatre facilities. Our current project has
involved foundation work for the ell, as well as a new roof. A grant from
the Davis Family
Foundation and the Maine
Communities Foundation has helped make this work possible, and we anticipate
that these improvements will be completed by the first of June."
 The first step in the reconstruction of the ell was performed by Scott Hatch
and his crew from Barn Wright, Inc. of Scribners Mills in Harrison. Scott
and his crew (Dave Rose, Joe Marshal, Lael Scott, and Spenser the Crew Dog)
replaced the sills around the perimeter of the Ell. This required removal
of the bottom layer of siding and the old sills. The Handicapped ramp and
porch on the front of the ell were also removed. The bathroom section was
detached from the ell. The Box Office and lighting room shown in the
before photograph were not detached. In the before photograph the dip in
the roof is visible.
The ell was raised 10" in the area of the Salt Lick Cafe. The after
photograph shows the roof is now straight. The roll roofing has developed
some puckers as the roof was straightened. The jacking also leveled the
floor in the lighting room which overhangs the entrance to the Salt Lick Cafe.
Barn Wrights used their excavator to straighten the ell, it had moved side to
side in addition to the dip. Click
here to see a gallery of images
of the jacking of the ell.
Scott and his crew will return after the ground stabilizes to install new
foundations for the ell.
 Bob Wiser of Bridgton will be roofing the ell over the next few weeks.
His crew (Harold Woodman, Colin Hebb, Jeremy Wiser, Bill Shimaura, and Andrew
Beebe) has covered the roof with a tarp (a Blue Roof).
 They were
replacing a plywood wall section with pine when I visited. Some of the
pine sheathing that was removed will be recycled. The photo to the right
shows both the new pine and the recycled boards. The bottom of the
recycled boards still need to be trimmed.
 The floor section between the
backstage gallery and the Salt Lick Cafe has been removed and hardwood flooring
that matches the rest of the floor will replace the plywood flooring.
Click here to see a gallery of
sheathing the ell.
 The
floor has been replaced. It should match the backstage gallery floor when
it is finished. Hopefully the rest of the ell floor can be refinished.
Click here to see a gallery of
the completed floor and sheathing the front of the ell.
  The
new metal roof and trimming of the recycled boards has been completed.
Click here to see a gallery of
images.
   Scott
and his crew have returned to do the foundation work. The new foundation
is a trench 3-4' deep lined with filter fabric and filled with stones of various
sizes. As Scott digs the trench with his excavator he pulls
out the larger stones. The smaller fist size stones were removed after the
dirt was dumped into the dump truck. All these stones will be returned to
the trench. The stone trench should allow the area around the ell to
drain better. That will be appreciated when a summer shower
occurs before intermission. The small hemlock beside the box office was a
casualty of the foundation work. Click
here to see a gallery of images.
    The
shed section that houses the bathrooms had to be tilted on end to allow Scott
and crew to place foundations under that section of the ell. They have
policed the grounds on the front of the ell. It is ready for seed or sod.
The bathrooms are strung with heavy duty come-a-longs. The two pulling
from the ell side will be tightened while the two stretched over the little
brook behind Deertrees will be loosened. The bathrooms will soon be back on
the level ground. Click
here to see a gallery of images.
   The
bathrooms are back on the level. Bob Wiser's crew has returned to replace
the ramp into the history section of the ell. The ramp includes recycling
the old walking surface. The beams underneath have been upgraded with new
pressure treated 2x12's that should last a long time. They have also
replaced the entrance to the Salt Lick Cafe. The entrance to the Salt Lick
Cafe has both replacement stairs and a new ramp. The ramp is too steep to
qualify as a handicap entrance and includes 2 small steps at the top. The
ramp should speed entrance and exit to the Salt Lick Cafe. Railings and a
new roof over the theatre entrance near the Salt Lick Cafe complete the changes
to the front of the ell. The roof should allow a dry transition to the
Salt Lick Cafe and the Back Stage Gallery in a summer shower. Click
here to see a gallery of images.
What's next for Deertrees? Gordon Peaco has mentioned replacing the
current bathrooms is high on his list. If you would like to assist in that
project or another please contact the Theatre.
The if you would like to contribute to the
Deertrees
Theatre annual appeal, the Theatre's address is Deertrees Theatre and
Cultural Center, PO Box 577, Harrison, Maine 04040. The annual appeal info
is towards the bottom of this
page.
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