GUILFORD – The C.H. Lightbody building in Guilford is named after a well known and respected person from the town’s history: Charles Harry Lightbody.
“He was dedicated to his practice. Amazing guy,” a town employee said.
Lightbody was originally from Waterville but Town Manager David Wilson said he made Guilford his home, opening a medical practice.
“He had approached the town about constructing a medical facility, really, to help out the fact that we had three mills in town at that time,” Wilson said.
“If something were to happen at the mills to any of the employees, he wanted a closer facility for them to respond to,” he said.
After housing the medical practice for 35 years, the building eventually became Guilford Medical Associates. In April, it became vacant.
Now it’s getting a new purpose.
“What we feel is best is that we make this building the face of the town and move the town office here,” Wilson said.
Wilson said Lightbody wanted this building to be for the town. When deciding what to do with it, he said he knew he had to keep it for the people of Guilford.
Prior to this move, the town offices and fire department shared a building.
Now, the Guilford fire department will have their own area to organize equipment.
“Everything that’s in households now is made out of plastics and stuff that when it burns it creates dirty smoke. It gets on our clothes, we get in the trucks, then we go back and take that into the station,” said Fire Chief Jeff Libby.
“We contaminate the trucks, we contaminate the stations and to get out of that area into a cleaner area is a great benefit,” he said.
With a little paint and elbow grease, town employees are now working to spruce up the place to create the new town office.
Wilson said he’s also renting out part of the building to small businesses. It will offer a conference room, a break area and office space.
“It’s a win for the town because we are honoring Dr. Lightbody’s memory and we’re making use of a vacant building. But it’s also a win for small businesses that just can’t afford large office space,” Wilson said.
