POLAND — Selectmen Tuesday learned more about the historical significance of the McConaghy house before voters decide its fate at the annual town meeting on April 2.
“The Maine Historical Preservation Commission said that through an investigation, they can put the Town Hall, old Town Office, library, community church, the three houses across the street from the McConaghy and the McConaghy house on the National Registry of Historical Places,” Arthur Berry said.
The McConaghy house, a large red house that stands on Main Street between Town Hall and Ricker Memorial Library, was purchased by the town three years ago. The purchase gave the town control over all properties along Main Street, from the library to the new Town Office, offering the possibility of developing a unified municipal complex.
It also made it possible for the library to expand, provided the McConaghy house was removed. Town officials hoped someone would come forward to purchase the building and move it to a new location, but that hasn’t happened.
Voters at the town meeting will act on three articles pertaining to the McConaghy house. The first two ask whether townspeople will agree to render the building suitable for public use and to raise $102,000 to do so. The third article, to be acted on if efforts to restore the McGonaghy house fail, asks for $30,000 to demolish it.
“The demolition of this house is taking away the heritage of most of the senior citizens of this town,” Berry said.
Selectman James Walker Jr. produced a photocopy of a newspaper article from August 1940 that headlined a fire that burned four or five houses and two barns, as well as partially burning the community church’s steeple in what was the heart of Poland Village.
“It took out everything from the Town Hall to White Oak Hill Road; only the McConaghy house survived,” Walker said.
Berry urged support for the building’s preservation.
“With this new information, I think it would be a great disservice to the townspeople to remove even more of our history,” he said.
In other business, selectmen met with Ron Smith, the town’s auditor, to go over the audit for the town’s fiscal year ending June 30, 2015. Smith reported that he found the town’s position “financially sound” with an adequate surplus. The separation of the town’s tax-increment finance district accounts, Smith noted, allows him to see the exact status of the accounts.
Selectmen also accepted the resignation of Paula Connor-Crouch from the Scholarship Committee and appointed Chris McKenna to the Community and Economic Development Committee.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
