MECHANIC FALLS — Town officials want guidance from taxpayers as they consider what to do with the town’s public library.

“Our insurance company has not been overly impressed with our public library and its lack of a fire alarm/suppression system, lack of handicapped accessibility, and the undetermined weight load limits of the upper floor, and the condition of the third floor and stairways,” Town Manager John Hawley said at a recent meeting of the Town Council.

Hawley told councilors that during the past couple of months he has discussed problems with library trustees and others. While some ideas are floating about, Hawley said he is going to conduct a survey on Election Day to help officials determine which direction to go.

The problem with the existing building, according to Hawley, is that the cost to correct some basic problems hits the Americans with Disabilities Act threshold and requires making the entire building handicapped-accessible.

“The stacks are too narrow for a wheelchair, so it’d take away space for books,” Hawley said. “The interior doors are all too narrow. An elevator would have to be exterior and we don’t own enough land to put it outside and meet setback requirements.”

Estimates to renovate the building range from $200,000 to $500,000.

Two alternatives to the present location are the former junior high wing at Elm Street School and the building in the municipal complex on Lewiston Street that until this year housed the Head Start program.

Nancy Petersons, chairwoman of the library’s Board of Trustees, said she didn’t think the Elm Street School location would be a good match.

“If it’s a public library, you can’t restrict access, and if it’s at a school, well, there are people who shouldn’t be at the school,” Petersons said. “Also, you can’t restrict use of computers. Not a good match at all.”

Hawley noted that the Head Start building has, all on one floor, and all handicapped-accessible, as much usable space — more than 2,500 square feet — as the first two floors, one of which isn’t handicapped-accessible, of the library building.

One drawback for the former Head Start building is, according to Petersons, the fact that it is not right in the downtown.

Hawley acknowledged that location would lack the visibility afforded by the present downtown location.

“Would we lose patrons if we moved it out of the downtown?” Hawley asked.

Librarian Sandy Brown-Eustis said the library has 1,500 cardholders.

“We do get a lot of use,” she said. “We are running out of space at this location. We’re discarding anything that hasn’t been circulated in five years.”

She noted that the Head Start building has a room that’s “perfect” for children.

“For our growing population of elderly, at the Head Start building, they could pull up and park, and go into the library, all on one floor,” Brown-Eustis said.

The survey asks residents how frequently they use the library, how important they feel it is for the library to have a presence in the downtown and what they would like to see happen to the library: build new, completely renovate, minimally renovate, move or close.