The business is up and running as Casco Town Offices employees settle into their new home off 121 next to the Casco Fire Station. A mold problem, discovered last January, forced them to consider moving municipal operations to alternate location. And now thanks to the community support and the carpentry skills of Casco’s volunteer firefighters, the municipal employees have a brand-new building to conduct town business.
“I think it’s great,” said Melissa Porce, an assistant town clerk. “It’s nice and bright and wide open.”
“There’s a lot more room to be organized and help out the public,” said Debbie Folsom, assistant to the Tax Assessor of the new facility. “The reorganization process has been a lot easier than we thought.”
The town had planned to move its offices into a new facility in a few years, but, faced with substantial mold problem, had to step up the timetable, says Town Manager David Morton. Last January, when investigating a mysterious leak, municipal employees discovered mold in one of the office’s meeting room.
“We went up inside the drop ceiling and it was in that space we discovered the mold,” Morton said. “It was pretty disgusting.”
Specialists, brought in to assess the problem, believe that because the building had no foundation, moisture from the ground had caused the mold to form, said Morton.
The meeting room was closed off and though mold was found in other locations, it was determined that it did not affect air quality in those areas.
Morton and the Casco Board of Selectmen had been weighing the town’s options when Fire Chief John Small suggested that he and the volunteer fire department build the town a temporary facility behind the fire station that could be later used for storage.
Morton and the Board agreed and the Saturday after voters approved the project at Casco’s annual town meeting, volunteers went to work on the building and worked quickly.
“We had the main structure of the building up a week after the town meeting,” Small said. “I’m very proud of what my members have accomplished. It shows that volunteerism is alive and well in Southern Maine.”
The new home will be temporary, however. A citizen building committee met for the first time on Wednesday to discuss building another facility in coming years. At that time, the current Casco Town Office building will be converted into storage space for the Casco Fire Department.
“This is wonderful,” said Morton. “It feels awkward not being in the village, but other than that it’s a wonderful facility. It will serve us well until something else is available.”
On September 24, there will be a cookout behind the Casco Fire Station to thank all the project volunteers as part of Public Safety Day.
Above, assistant town clerks Melissa Porce and Debbie Poulin work inside the new Casco Town Offices, seen below at their new location behind the Casco Fire Station on Route 121.Send questions/comments to the editors.
