LINCOLNVILLE — A once vacant lot in the center of Lincolnville is coming back to life, thanks to a large group of community members and businesses.

In the past few weeks carpenters, roofers, electricians and landscapers have been busy at the site near Norton Pond where the town's former one-room schoolhouse now sits. One crew spent two days putting shingles on the roof, another built a new subfloor inside, and others took measurements for bookshelves, all with the goal of turning the old building into the new Lincolnville Community Library.

Meanwhile, a team of about 10 women, led by town resident Sandy Shute, began clearing brush and sorting lumber in preparation for building sheds for the open-air museum that will sit behind the library building.

It has been about eight months since nearly 200 people gathered to help pull the old schoolhouse across Main Street to the vacant lot where a thriving business once stood. Since then members of the Lincolnville Historical Society, Community Library Committee and Community Alliance have been raising funds, gathering local materials and organizing work crews to help revitalize this spot in the center of town.

So far the groups have raised more than one third of the $208,000 needed to complete the Lincolnville Community Library Project, through grants from foundations and donations from individuals and businesses. Fundraising will continue this summer, with neighborhood parties, an auction and a book sale planned for June and July.

And so will the work on the building. It is slated to get some new windows and doors, a hardwood floor, an addition and indoor plumbing, and all the interior furnishings needed for the library. The goal is to keep the historical integrity of the old schoolhouse building while also making it as energy efficient as possible. The builders are also using locally sourced lumber and materials as much as they can for the library and the open-air museum.

The museum sheds will provide display space for antique agricultural implements and other large items in the Historical Society's collection. Being on the shed building crew is an opportunity to both help with the project and learn carpentry skills, according to several members. Part of the team spent one recent rainy day at Shute's home going over the construction plans and learning about the safe use of saws and other power equipment and about things such as joinery techniques.

The library building site is a formerly vacant lot that borders a wetland area that drains into Norton Pond. The plan is to landscape it using native and historic plants, including some that will help with natural soil restoration.

The town of Lincolnville owns the property and is leasing it to the Lincolnville Historical Society for $1 per year. The society owns the old schoolhouse building and is allowing it to be used for the new library. The town is not providing any funding for the library.

The existing town library has been housed since January 2012 in a temporary space at the corner of Heal Road and Main Street in Lincolnville Center. There volunteers have cataloged and shelved nearly 2,000 fiction and nonfiction books for children and adults.

The new library will have an expanded collection of books on everything from history, technology and fiber arts to the classics and modern fiction. Library committee members say they especially want to build an extensive collection of resources on gardening, energy conservation, hand-tool use and other subjects related to self-reliance and the traditional arts.

Most of all, they want to make the library a comfortable place where people may gather to learn, enjoy programs and share with neighbors. In addition to books, the library will offer free wireless Internet access, use of computers and instruction in digital technology; programs such as book discussion groups, author talks and children's story hours; workshops on subjects ranging from Maine history to tax return preparation; and access to Maine State Library resources.

Once the new library is ready, it will be managed by a board of directors and staffed by volunteers. A "friends of the library" organization will be established to raise funds and support its continued operation.

The goal is to move into the new library by this October, one year after everyone helped pull the building across the street.

Sheila Polson is an editor and journalist in Lincolnville. She is also chairman of the Lincolnville Community Library Committee.