The town of Rumford is asking voters for permission to lease the historic Rumford Center Meeting House to the Village Improvement Society, which will fundraise and pursue grants to repair the 1828 building. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times
RUMFORD — The Select Board approved two warrant articles Wednesday for a special town meeting set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24, in the Rumford Falls Auditorium.
The articles seek public approval for a lease by the town of Rumford Center Meeting House, and a lease of a parcel of town land behind the public works garage on U.S. Route 2 for a solar array.
The votes were approved by Chair Chris Brennick and selectmen Frank DiConzo and John Pepin. Absent were board members Jim Theriault and Eric McLean.
In each article, it was deemed that a critical circumstance existed for the action.
The second warrant article would allow the town to make available land for lease behind the town public works garage for a 1 megawatt solar project.
Regarding the meeting house, Brennick said the building is “structurally compromised and the need to pursue grants is urgent.”
The plan is to lease the building to the non-profit Village Improvement Society, which will fundraise and pursue grants.
On the ballot last June, in a nonbinding advisory poll, voters declined (244 yes, 406 no) to support the town raising and appropriating an estimated $600,000 to repair and improve the Rumford Center Meeting House.
The 1828 building is Rumford’s original town hall and meeting place.
Town Manager Stacy Carter said the building has significant historical value to the town. There are code issues with the building, structural foundation issues, and to continue to use that building work needs to be done. “But it’s not a building that’s falling down,” Carter said.
The building is currently used by a volunteer group in Rumford Center called the Village Improvement Society.
“We’ve looked at grants,” Carter said. “The grants that are available are fairly small.”
At the Select Board meeting on Dec. 15, Village Improvement Society member Linda Russell, a lawyer from Rumford, said, “We’re willing to go forward and do the fundraising that needs to happen to make that building safe. But in order for us to get bigger grants, we have to have control of the building.”
She added that a long-term lease would be “something that lets us do what we need to do to get the money to fix the building.”
Russell said that since 1924, the society has used the building exclusively and has done everything from plays to concerts, to having it available to the community for events. “But we can’t use it now because it’s not safe,” Russell said.
“This is part of Rumford’s history,” Carter said. “In order to … use one of the town’s oldest buildings and get it back so that it’s usable, (a long-term lease) is certainly a good path forward. I believe the citizens would also agree.”
The Village Improvement Society is currently conducting a membership drive. Membership is $25 per household. To join, send check or money order made out to RCVIS, and mail to RCVIS, PO Box 361, Rumford, 04276.
A major funding effort will be launched in late fall. In preparation for its campaign, RCVIS president Ken MacFawn is working with a subcommittee of local builders to develop a scope of work plan and a budget.
The society hopes to try to solicit donations and grant money to try to make those repairs.
The board includes Ken MacFawn, president; John Ansbro, vice-president; Sarah Broughton, treasurer; Gabrielle Johnson, secretary; and Linda Macgregor, member at large.
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