LINCOLN, Maine — The town office could relocate to the Lincoln District Court space sometime next year under a plan town leaders are considering, officials said Friday.
The Town Council will discuss at its meeting Monday three bids the town received from companies interested in doing a feasibility and engineering study of whether two floors of the building would make a good town office, Town Manager Ron Weatherbee said.
Voters will have the final word on what the town does.
“We want to get everything done in time for a November referendum,” council Chairman Steve Clay said Friday. “This is what we are shooting for, anyway.”
Lincoln’s Town Office Ad Hoc Committee reviewed eight properties before recommending the three-story building, which is at 55 Main St.
“This option offers the most flexibility for a town office, ranging from a minimalistic upgrade approach to a fully remodeled approach,” according to the committee’s four-page final report. “[It] meets established criteria. An elevator to access all three levels is recommended and will be included in the concept plan. Potential rental revenue plus area for expansion exists.”
The court would have to relocate. According to the building’s owner, its lease expires next year, Clay said.
The building’s purchase cost is $450,000, but the town could also lease the space, an approach that would allow the town to use its Tax Increment Financing funds. This would not affect town property taxes, officials said.
The council formed the five-year committee last year because the lease at 63 Main St. expires this year, but it can be extended. The town leases the first floor there for $2,556 per month, including utilities.
The town has leased space at 63 Main St. for about 70 years, but it lacks public restrooms. Town officials have said that it lacks adequate storage space, full 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.
The committee rejected keeping the town office at 63 Main St., saying that the building has problems with ongoing water intrusion in its basement, a mold condition and asbestos that would need removal from heating pipes.
“If the town purchases the Masonic building and initiates remodeling, then the building will be
required to meet all current standards in a building with many unknowns,” according to the report.
The committee also recommended against moving the office to Ballard Hill community center, which Weatherbee said has drawn inquiries from town businesses that might move there. The building is old and would require much upgrading.
The committee recommended the feasibility study. Ames Engineering of Bangor bid $17,260, CES Inc. of Brewer bid $37,000, and Fraser Associates Architects of Bar Harbor bid $39,500, Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Arnold said.
The council meeting starts at 7 p.m.