MECHANIC FALLS — The Town Council on Monday agreed to sell the old town library building to Ricky and Catherine Dionne for $42,000.

The only stipulation the council placed on the building was that the new owners prepare the first floor for commercial use within 12 months of closing on the property.

The 1850s-era brick structure is in the downtown area on the banks of the Little Androscoggin River.

The property had only been for sale for a month. The council voted in early November to enter into a contract agreement with Dot Fernald of ERA Worden to sell the property. Fernald reported she conducted six showings and had received two offers, the second coming from Stephanie Baird for $40,000.

The council met with Fernald to discuss details of the offers in executive session prior to reconvening in open session to make its decision.

The council did not elaborate on plans the new owners might have for the property, but Councilor Bob Small noted that he was pleased that both of the parties making offers were Mechanic Falls residents, interested in investing in the town.

In a related matter, Town Manager John Hawley reported that the town library is expected to open on the third floor of the Municipal Building in early January.

Hawley noted that library trustees, who had opted to try to locate used bookshelves to keep costs down, had been successful.

“The University of Southern Maine is donating all new bookshelves, new to us, used to them, for the Library upstairs,” Hawley said.

Hawley said the town’s only cost will be what is required to remove the shelving and truck it to Mechanic Falls. He figured that the cost will be between $3,000 and $3,500, considerably less than the used shelving’s estimated $25,000 value.

Hawley also reported that the wood pellet boiler, which was supposed to be operational on Nov. 1, has not been installed.

“It’s on its way, somewhere on a boat out in the Atlantic,” Hawley said.

The underground water pipes and the wood pellet storage silo are in place, he said. 

“The burner was supposed to be here Nov. 1 by contract. We had constructed our budget based on using wood,” Hawley said.

He noted that the town has already purchased 1,000 gallons of fuel oil at a price that works out to be $2.08 a gallon higher than an equivalent amount of wood.

But the good news is, Hawley reported, is that the contractor, Northline Energy, has agreed to reimburse the town the difference of what it would have cost to heat with wood.

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