KENNEBUNK — Construction of the open-air pavilion building on Main Street, now officially dubbed “The Waterhouse Center,” has begun, and the town has implemented a new campaign aimed at closing the fundraising gap that still remains.

While the $635,000 project will ultimately be paid for through donations, as well as advertising and rental revenue generated from the site, there is still a shortfall of approximately $100,000. For now, the shortfall will be filled by borrowing money from the Route 1 Tax Increment Financing district, with future pledges and site revenues re-paying those funds back into the TIF over a five-year period.

On Tuesday, selectmen approved a program they hope will expedite the repayment of those TIF funds. Dubbed “Buy-A-Brick,” the campaign will allow residents or businesses to have their names, and perhaps a message, engraved onto a brick that will be randomly placed along the George Shaw Walkway and general pavilion area, for a donation.

Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said that the early response to the program has been positive.

“I’ve had four or five different residents stop me … and they’ve said, ”˜I’m definitely interested in buying a brick,’” said Tibbetts. “I think it’ll be a good program and raise some good money.”

A basic 4-by-8-inch brick with text will cost $100; an 8-by-8-inch brick with text costs $500; and an 8-by-8-inch brick with text and a logo included costs $1,000.

Tibbetts estimates that each brick will cost between $12-15 to manufacture; he is currently in talks with two firms, one in Maine and one in Florida, to produce the engraved items.

“I’ve had a lot of people comment to me that the prices are very fair,” he said.

For those with deeper wallets, the town will also offer plaques in a variety of price ranges. “Bronze,” “silver,” “gold,” “platinum” and “diamond” plaques will be offered, varying in price from $1,000 to $50,000.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Selectmen Chairman Al Searles on Tuesday. “That’s all I need to say.”

The pavilion project, begun late last month, is being sole-sourced to locally owned Benchmark Construction, which has offered the town a projected savings of 30 to 40 percent on labor and materials. The project is estimated to be complete by the last week of July.

The name “Waterhouse Center” is an homage to the Geraldine Waterhouse family, which last fall established a $1.5 million endowment fund to create a skating rink at the site, with regular maintenance and upkeep of the site coming from the endowment. Tibbetts said the pavilion will extend that site into an all-season facility, and in fact, a preliminary schedule of events has been drafted for the late summer heading into next winter, including a magic show, a bicycle motocross demonstration and a performance by musician Rick Charette.

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.