LINCOLN, Maine — The Town Council has appointed a five-member committee to advise councilors whether the town office at 63 Main St. is adequate, Town Manager Ron Weatherbee said Tuesday.
The council voted 4-3 on Monday to name residents Ada Brown, Steve Farrington, Richard Larkin, Gilberte Mayo and Roger Ryder to the committee. Councilors Sam Clay — council Chairman Steve Clay’s brother — Curt Ring and Chris Stevens voted against the motion, Steve Clay said.
The council formed the committee because the lease at 63 Main St. expires next year. The town leases the first floor there for $2,556 per month, including utilities. The committee’s assessment of the town office space needs will be incorporated into a request for proposals town officials will issue within a few months, Weatherbee and Clay said.
The town has leased space at 63 Main St. for about 70 years, but it lacks public restrooms. Town officials also have said that it lacks adequate storage space, accessibility for disabled residents and has at times been inadequately maintained. Officials with the local Masonic chapter, which owns the building, have said the building meets town needs and represents the most economical deal the town could get.
Town economic development coordinator Ruth Birtz and councilors Dede Trask and David Whalen also will be part of the committee, Clay said. No committee meeting dates have been set.