SABATTUS – After scouring the streets for a place to call home, the volunteer library board discovered a new site for the town’s books.

Four vacant rooms at the Sabattus Residential Care building on Old Lisbon Road were located with the help of former Director Debbie Daggett.

Since 2002 the Town Square Community Library had been allowed to reside in the Sabattus Mall rent-free. However, with a possible bidder on the mall, that space has acquired a price tag, forcing the library to seek shelter elsewhere.

“Back when I was director, Residential Care would bring senior citizens down to read to the kids,” Daggett said. Since then, she has been trying to work out something with the owner and president of Residential Care, Louis Arcidy, to get the seniors and children closer together.

“They weren’t ready to do it then but things are starting to come together now,” Daggett said.

The new location has abundant windows, two bathrooms and ample parking.

No contract has been drafted by Residential Care granting the library permanent residency. Daggett said everything has been based on a year-by-year agreement. “Right now we are all just playing it by ear,” she said.

Visions of The County

Volunteer librarian Christy Daigle used to live in Aroostook County, where her local library was nothing more than an assortment of books stored in potato barrels. Recently, she worried that this would happen to the Sabattus library.

“We can’t be stopped,” Daigle said. “When you have a group of people, like we do, who have a positive outlook, then anything can happen.”

She said the move will allow the library to be open any day of the week but “before all this can happen, there is going to have to be some fund raising done.”

Needs work

According to Building Inspector Richard Behr, some work will have to be done to bring the library’s newly acquired space up to code.

“It needs a little work,” Daggett said. “Some painting and cleaning will need to be done; one door doesn’t open and a wall needs to come down.”

With renovations in proposal stages and a little more volunteer help, Reynolds hopes that the library will be in full swing by the end of the summer. Others are a little more optimistic, expecting the library to open in a few weeks providing that volunteers step forth to help pave the way.