Montville — The town is foregoing applications for restoration grants as it fixes up Montville Center Congregational Church in the historic center of town.

The church building, which the town owns, was built in 1847. The church itself dates to before the town existed. It was founded in 1722 as a grant to the inhabitants of the North Parish of New London.

Located at the corner of Meetinghouse Lane and Raymond Hill Road by Raymond Library, the site was accepted to the state Register of Historic Places in 2012.

Around that time, the town’s historical society was considering trying to get the building on the National Register of Historic Places, which would have made it eligible for more grants.

After considering the costs of adhering to the standards of preservation that come with such state and federal grants, the town decided it made more sense to strike out on its own to fix up the church, according to Town Planner Marcia Vlaun.

“We simply don’t have the money to dot the I’s and cross the T’s,” she said, also explaining that the longer the town waited to start working to preserve what’s there, the further the building would fall into disrepair.

The town spent $20,000 or so in 2014 on installing a new roof on the building, Vlaun said. This summer, contractors are working on painting the exterior and replacing the doors, which she said will run in the ballpark of $35,000. Once the exterior is sealed, Vlaun said the town would start working year-by-year on cleaning up the interior.

The ultimate goal at some point in the future will be to open the church up during spring and summer for people to use for events such as readings and lectures. Vlaun said the town does not plan to heat the church, so it would not be open in colder months.

Municipal historian Jon Chase said he was using old photographs to help guide the town in restoring the church in such a way that it looks as it did when it was built. He said the building is structurally sound and hasn’t undergone many changes since it was constructed, though Vlaun said “handyman” improvements had left a patchwork of odd alterations that the town has been working to undo.

Some details will have to wait for funding to free up, according to Vlaun and Chase. Chase described wooden window shutters that he observed in old photos that at some point were replaced with plastic shutters, which the town has since removed. Finding replacement wooden shutters will have to wait, he said.

Daniel Forrest, director of arts and historic preservation for the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), said the requirements for recipients of Historic Restoration Fund Grant Program funding ensure that restoration efforts benefit the historic and physical integrity of the property. Small details, like replacing original windows with new windows, add up to create a structure that does not bear a historically accurate appearance, he said.

“They no longer read as an eighteenth century house if they have vinyl replacement windows,” he said by way of example.

He noted that grant recipients do not get reimbursed for the work until it is completed, which can be a financial strain for parties that don’t have money up front to make all the needed repairs. The grants cover 50 percent of costs, he said.

“That is a very big hurdle,” he said of the delayed reimbursement, quickly following up that SHPO likes to talk directly to those considering historic restoration to explain the program in full.

t.townsend@theday.com

Twitter: @ConnecticuTess