By Lindsay Tice,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – The Toy Library, an indoor play area for underprivileged kids, will close if organizers can’t find a new location.

For 13 years, the Toy Library has been housed in the basement of the United Baptist Church on Main Street. Church officials charged the nonprofit only $150 a month, including utilities, for 2,200-square-feet of space. But after a dozen year-to-year leases, church officials said they needed the space for church business.

The Toy Library will have to leave by the end of August.

Volunteers have spent months searching for a new home. The problem? They need at least 2,000 square feet of open space, plus parking and a location on a bus line. They also need the building to be free of asbestos and lead. And they need it for less money than most landlords are willing, or able, to go.

“Anything that’s suitable for bringing in the children and having a good area is really expensive,” said Tina Rousseau, president of the board of directors. “It’s right out of our price range.”

The best offer has come from a Lewiston landlord with space in his professional building on Lisbon Street. He’s willing to lease it for $1,150 a month. Utilities would be extra.

The Toy Library makes less than $10,000 a year. It would need nearly twice that to rent the building and pay its bills.

But even if money weren’t an issue, that Lisbon Street building isn’t ideal. Parking is limited.

Toy Library volunteers continue to scour the area for a large, affordable space.

“I’ve called every single church in Lewiston-Auburn. I’m not kidding,” said Veronica Hiscock, secretary for the board of directors.

No churches or community groups have enough space, she said. And city-owned buildings are either full or inadequate.

While they keep up the hunt for a home, volunteers are also in a desperate search for grants and sponsors.

“Our biggest concern is moving into a place and then not being able to afford the rent,” Rousseau said.

If they’re unable to find a good location or raise enough money to pay for one, directors say they’ll have to shut down the Toy Library. Just the thought pains them.

“There’s a lot of people who can’t afford preschool. This offers kids the chance to work on fine and gross motor skills with parents nearby,” Hiscock said. “It’s a good program. I don’t want to see it closed.”

Open several days a week, the Toy Library includes a room-sized sandbox, a large yellow slide, tricycles and a fully stocked craft corner. Children can seesaw on a plastic alligator or “cook” in the kid-sized kitchen, toss a ball or climb the clubhouse to survey their kingdom.

Parents stay nearby and often chat about day care, doctors and support services.

Individual visits are $2 each, but the playroom opens its doors to any family, whether or not it can afford the fee. Parent volunteers support the place with fund-raisers, birthday parties and annual memberships.

They hope they can continue to do so. They hope time won’t run out.

“For a lot of kids, it’s either play in the street or find another place to play,” Rousseau said.

For more information, call Tina Rousseau at 212-3992.