MEXICO – Selectmen on Wednesday authorized Town Manager John Madigan to contact the University of Maine System to discuss the possibility of leasing the SAD 43 Central Office building.

Madigan said a University of Maine System, Rumford/Mexico Center representative contacted him after voters in the SADs 43, 21, and 39 towns approved consolidation of the three districts last month. With a new Western Foothills School District will come a more centrally located central office, likely be at the SAD 21 Central Office in Dixfield, not at SAD 43.

The SAD 43 building will revert to the town.

The office is housed in a circa 1960s old classroom building adjacent to the former Mexico High School. The former high school is now the town’s recreation center, as well as home for several businesses.

Madigan said estimated maintenance costs for the office are about $70,000 annually.

The University of Maine System satellite school is housed in the former St. Theresa’s convent on Brown Street. The college has been looking for a larger space to house its growing program for months and has looked at sites in Mexico, Rumford and other towns.

Madigan will bring back information on the possibility of leasing the building to the board at its Jan. 14 meeting.

In other matters on Wednesday, the board signed the warrant for a special election on Jan. 15 to choose the town’s representatives to the Western Foothills School District board. SAD 43 representative Peter Zanoni is running for a three-year term. No one turned in nomination papers for a one-year term. That position will be elected through write-in vote.

The board also approved donating four 75-foot-long steel beams remaining from the Thad White Bridge project to the Mexico and Dixfield snowmobile clubs. The clubs will sell them for funds to buy materials for building snowmobile bridges. Fire Chief Gary Wentzell said an offer of $2,500 has been made for the beams.