The money raised by the town pays for salaries and books.
By Cora C. Briggs
Special to the Sun Journal

LIVERMORE FALLS – Voters gave approval to $52,000 in support of the library at their town meeting, but they may have to face reduced services to live within a 25 percent cut in revenue from the Treat Trust.

When the library was donated to the town by Eloise Treat in 1954, she set up a trust for the upkeep of the building. The income from that has been used for janitorial services, telephone, fuel, electricity, snow removal, even some office supplies, in addition to repairs.

The money raised by the town pays for salaries and books.

Extensive repairs were recently made to the building including new windows and roof and $50,000 of the principal was used to cover it.

That, combined with today’s lower interest rates, has caused Androscoggin Bank, the trustee of the trust, to reduce the amount available for monthly expenses from $2,265 to $1,694, said Trust Officer Eva Wing. The town should try to live within what the trust is generating, said Town Manager Alan Gove as there is no additional town money available to support the building.

Roger Ouellette, president of the Livermore Falls Library Association, which operates the library, was reluctant to cut services because people will complain if the hours are changed, but he added that closing the building was not an option and he will discuss the situation with the staff and other trustees.

It was suggested the building be open only weekdays so the heat/air-conditioning could be turned down for a three-day stretch; that custodial time be cut; and that library employees do some of the vacuuming.

Other suggestions included eliminating long distance phone service, charging a fee for use of the library auditorium and requiring a deposit that is returned if the room needs no cleanup, securing the storm windows, putting the thermostat on a time clock and taking out the air conditioners in the winter.

Central Maine Power will be asked to do an audit of the building and figures will be checked to be certain the correct percentages of joint bills are credited to the library.

“We have a moral obligation to take care of the building,” said Chairman Bill Demaray. “If we can do something on our operating budget, that will be great.”

Gove and Ouellette are to work together to bring back suggestions to the board, and to do it as quickly as possible as the new allowance goes into effect July 1.