AUGUSTA — The Augusta Civic Center’s main auditorium, which hosts high school basketball tournaments, graduation ceremonies and other regional events, will now be known as the Hammond Lumber Auditorium.

City Council voted 8-0 Thursday to approve the naming rights contract, which will bring $828,000 to the civic center over 10 years.

In addition, the main entrance to the building, which draws about 300,000 people a year, will be dedicated to Paul G. Poulin. Poulin was instrumental in developing the civic center.

Councilor Kevin Judkins said he wants the public to know that the Poulin family agreed to move Poulin’s name from the auditorium to the main entrance.

“I would want to be clear with the public that this idea was fully vetted with the Poulin family, they agreed with it wholeheartedly and actually it was their suggestion to change the name of the front entrance,” Judkins said.

Hammond Lumber, which has 21 locations in Maine, started in 1953 in nearby Belgrade and is one of the state’s largest independent building suppliers, according to the company website. A spokesman said last month that the company likes to support local communities.

Councilor Stephanie Sienkiewicz said city staff, led by civic center Director Margaret Noel, are finding innovative ways to generate revenue for the building.

“Margaret has been working tirelessly to make sure that the civic center is a viable enterprise for us for the future,” Sienkiewicz said. “Things like this are how we’re going to keep that building afloat.”

The civic center, which is now more than 50 years old, needs an estimated $50 million in repairs over the next several years. Noel said recently that federal stimulus funds and city bond proceeds will pay for the roof to be redone this year and that other projects will follow.