LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen voted Tuesday to award the contract to tear down a condemned building on Birch Street to a Mexico company.

Selectman Alphonso Barker recused himself before any discussion or action was taken due to one bidder being a cousin.

Four bids were received ranging from a low bid of $3,700 from Allen’s Excavating and Trucking of Mexico to $12,300 from Chabot Construction of Greene. Other bids were $5,190 from Castonguay Excavation of Livermore Falls and $8,000 from Bachelder Paving and Construction of Leeds.

Selectman Louise Chabot said the Greene company owner was no relation to her.

Selectmen said if the references from the Mexico company uncover problems, they authorized Town Manager Jim Chaousis to go with the next lowest bid from Castonguay. That company has done work for the town before.

In other business, Chaousis informed the board that the Maine Paper and Heritage Museum’s race in town on Saturday, July 17, is not covered under the town’s liability insurance.

Several factors would have made it difficult for the town’s policy to cover them, he said. They are both recognized as separate entities and the museum has its own insurance, he said.

The race will go on and participants will be asked to sign waivers, Louise Chabot said. She is on the museum’s Board of Directors.

Chaousis also updated the board on the status of the benches and picnic tables that are being paid for through leftover funds in a Community Development Block Grant.

Chaousis had sought five prices from different vendors to buy cement-based benches and picnic tables to put around town.

The lowest price was from Barker Construction, where Selectman Barker works at the company owned by his father. Barker recused himself from the discussion.

Some residents complained about the benches and that some of the pressure-treated wood used for seating had warped. The modern style of treated wood does not have the chemicals in it as the old treated wood had when it first came out, Chaousis said. The wood will last longer outside than other types.

Chaousis brought the issues to the company and they have made improvements and continue to do so.

The company did as they were asked and that was to build strong benches that could not be stolen and that would last, Chaousis said Wednesday.

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