MECHANIC FALLS – The Town Council said Monday night that it wants to hear more about a proposal allowing the Mechanic Falls Historical Society to acquire the Congregational Church building at 64 Elm St.

Society President Eriks Petersons told the council that church trustees had offered the 1840 building to the society as a place for storage and to display the town’s collection of historical artifacts, now packed away upstairs in the town library.

“The church is disbanding Jan. 1 and wants to hear from us by Oct. 1 whether we want to take over the building,” Petersons said.

The building has potential, Petersons said, with space upstairs for display and the downstairs hall, outfitted with a kitchen for public suppers, offers possibilities for community use.

The building, built in 1840 and apparently well-kept, ought to be preserved in its own right, Petersons noted.

“I’d hate to see it go. The town would lose something of itself,” he said.

Petersons came to the council because the Historical Society is a creation of the library’s board of trustees and answerable to the council. He also wanted guidance on how the community could benefit from the opportunity.

Possible uses for the property were suggested by people at the meeting. Ken Carlin offered a $1,000 in seed money and said he would go after other donations to get things started.

The council directed Town Manager John Hawley to assess the building’s condition and form a committee to figure out what can be done with it and how the money to make that happen can be obtained.

The committee will report its findings at the council’s Sept. 2 meeting.