PERU — At a special town meeting Monday, resident Dennis Thibodeau demanded to know why selectmen refused to accept a bid that he had placed on a 24- by 56-foot portable structure located behind the Town Office.

“We have offers,” said Chairman James Pulsifer, noting the bid process had closed.

However, Thibodeau noted the board put an ad in the newspaper to put the building up for bid without listing a minimum price. He stated that he came into the Town Office and put his bid on the structure into an envelope that said “bid” on the outside of it.

“I asked, ‘What do you want for the building?'” Thibodeau noted. “The answer was, ‘We don’t know.’ They didn’t want to accept my, supposedly, offer.”
He added that when municipalities or school systems want to put anything out for bid, they typically state the minimum amount they are willing to accept.

“My question is, are they [the selectmen] going to come up with a price, or take an offer, or are we going to fool around like I’ve been fooling around with them for two months,” Thibodeau said.

Pulsifer explained that the town hadn’t put any minimum bid requirement on the building, and no bids were received by the closing date. Selectmen had then stated they would consider any proposals that were made.

“Mr. Thibodeau made an offer,” he continued. “The board rejected that offer. We have two offers on the building now. We haven’t decided what to do.”

The board made a commitment, subject to citizen approval, to one of the applicants who had made an offer. In a unanimous vote at the special town meeting, residents approved the sale of the portable structure.

Thibodeau asked selectmen if they would advertise it again. Selectmen’s secretary Kathy Hussey said the board had already accepted an offer contingent on the town approving the building’s sale.

At a selectmen’s meeting preceding the special town meeting, Selectman Tim Holland noted that he had been contacted regarding soccer goals at the former Peru Elementary School site, which is now owned by the town. He said that RSU 10 wanted to move them to Dirigo Elementary School for practices.

Holland stated that the recreation department’s position “is they’re ours.” Pulsifer added that he had communicated with RSU 10 Superintendent Dr. Thomas Ward, and had an understanding that the school district had everything it needed from the town.

Holland added that the soccer goals could be used by any team at any time as long as it didn’t conflict with the town’s fall soccer program. Pulsifer said that the goals were part of the town facilities and should stay at the former school.

Road Commissioner Joe Roach brought the board up to date on town road projects. A catch basin was vacuumed out recently on Main Street and tar patching done on the Ridge Road. Brushing has also been done on the sides of some town roads.

“There’s no way on earth we could have done that (brushing) by hand over that period of time,” Roach said. “I think in three or four years we could get caught up.”

In other business, the selectmen approved a 6- by 15-foot garage addition for Abraham Saphier on the Ridge Road. Taxes for the first half of this year are due July 31.

On Friday, Aug. 7, a picnic will take place at the ball field behind the town office. It is being held in celebration of the town’s baseball and softball league players for a job well done this season. A turkey picnic will start at 6 p.m. and trophies and cake will be awarded between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. A street dance will take place between 7:30 and 10 p.m. It is being held as a fundraiser for the baseball and softball squads. Players get free admission, and the rain date for these events will be Saturday, Aug. 8, at the same time and place.

The players and parents are hoping to get turkeys donated from area businesses.