AUGUSTA (AP) — The $1.3 million project to replace the copper atop the Maine State House dome is underway.

Crews began erecting scaffolding in late March. By mid-May, they should be finished erecting the staging.

Removal of the old copper will begin by early June, and the whole project is supposed to be done in late October before winter sets in.

David Boulter, executive director of the Legislative Council, told the Kennebec Journal (http://bit.ly/1pGf8BW) the green copper sheathing of the dome is more than a century old.

Holes as large as dimes have formed in the copper, allowing water to seep in.

The new copper will be shiny like a new penny for about six months, before it oxidizes and turns brown. It won’t regain its green patina for 30 to 60 years.