ANSON — Residents approved the purchase 5 Kennebec St. for use as a new town office at a special town meeting Monday night.

The building has served as a temporary office for about a year after mold, sewer and rodent problems at the old town office at 62 Main St. forced employees out.

Additional Images

Robert Worthley, Anson administrative assistant, looks over office materials inside the town office building in March. The town had to move its offices after mold and sewer problems arose. Voters at a special town meeting Monday agreed to purchase the new quarters. Staff file photo by David Leaming

The Anson Town Office was closed after mold, sewer gas and rodents plagued the century-old building. Staff file photo by David Leaming

The purchase was approved by a vote of 34-24 and will cost the town $100,000, to be paid over three years, along with any renovations or improvements that need to be done.

“We will have to raise some money,” said Arnold Luce, chairman of both the board of selectmen and the building committee organized to come up with solutions to the town office problem. “We will be looking at our surplus to see if there is a way to do it without raising taxes.”

The town has about $54,000 in surplus accounts currently, which would be enough to make an initial payment, he said.

The board of selectmen will be working on negotiating the details of the purchase with the building’s owners, William and Jan Lynds, over the next few months. The town has rented the building since last July, and their lease is up in September. Luce said he wasn’t sure when the purchase would go through.

It is also unclear what will become of the old town office building, which is still used for selectmen’s meetings. Last summer town employees relocated to the 5 Kennebec St. property because of odor and air quality issues caused by a rodent infestation, mold and sewer problems.

Continuing to lease the 5 Kennebec St. property was one of three options the building committee presented to residents at the meeting.

Of buying the building, he said, “It does give us a nice spot to use and we can always sell it later,” he said.

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368

rohm@centralmaine.com

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