MECHANIC FALLS — It is back to the drawing board for the municipal complex.
In November 2017, residents voted to buy the former medical building on 22 Pleasant St. as part of $724,000 bond. The plan was to renovate the building as the new home of the municipal offices, public library and Police Department.
At Monday night’s Town Council meeting, officials said they are now looking to sell the former medical building and use the funds for a new building, preferably in the same location where the current municipal building stands.
Councilors are requesting bids from commercial real estate agents to sell the former medical building.
A structural engineer’s report revealed the former medical building was not big enough to do what the town had hoped. Almost a year after that November vote, the town learned the former medical building would be too small to house all the town departments.
An initiative failed in a special town meeting October 2018 to move the library to the old depot building in the center of town.
In January, a public safety committee was formed to make recommendations on the future of municipal facilities. One of the early proposals was to move the administrative offices and the library to the Pleasant Street location, and keep the Police Department at the current municipal building until better quarters could be obtained or built.
Now it appears the strategy may be to house all town departments at a more-modern complex.
The town also requested bids for a survey of the municipal complex area to be done, but the offers ranged from $5,000 to $20,000 and the councilors tabled the decision.
In other matters, Town Clerk Miranda Hinkley said the 2018 town report will be posted on the town’s web site. The town’s 2019-20 budget referendum questions will be decided next Tuesday, June 11. Voting booths will be located downstairs at the Municipal Building. Voting hours will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Town councilors approved a compensation package of $62,397 plus benefits for Chief Jeffrey Goss of the Police Department.
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