When it comes time to expand a municipality’s facilities, the first question is often about whether to build from the ground up or renovate an existing structure. There are many issues to consider such as energy efficiency, location, accessibility, security, parking, and historical ties. This article looks at six communities in Maine that recently faced, or are still facing important decisions about what to do with their municipal buildings, examining creative ways that existing municipal resources can be “recycled,” amid a new moment of austerity for most annual budgets.