PERU- About a dozen citizens turned out on Monday night for a public hearing on the request of $10,000 to help fund the Peru Community Center for the next year. The funds were requested from the surplus account by the Friends of Peru Elementary School.

FPES is asking voters to approve their request to put the former school into the supervisory hands of the selectmen, take $10,000 from the town surplus account and negotiate a contract with selectmen to insure fiscal transparency of those taxpayer funds.

Resident Kevin Taylor inquired to whether FPES had looked into grant options and other money making ideas for the building before coming to the town for their financial needs.
Nick Waugh, president of FPES, stated that he had spent last winter writing a grant, but they were not chosen. Other grants have and will be written to help support their cause. “We’re not going away. We’re just looking for some breathing room,” stated Waugh.

Waugh invited Taylor to meet with him to throw around some ideas.

Currently, FPES holds two insurance policies on the building to cover them and the town in case of fire and injury, that costs them upwards of $2,000 per year.

“This building is an integral part of the town,” stated Waugh. “If voters approve our request this year and they don’t like how things were run, then they can turn it down next year. There are options.”

Tammy Moore spoke up from the back, stating, “We need to invest money into our building. We don’t have many town buildings left and this one is valuable with everything that’s going on in it. The sad things is that not a lot of people know what is happening here.”

Renters of the building include Girl Scout troops, a singing group, Servant’s Heart Food Pantry, the Rumford Senior Citizens, a community kitchen rented by Mark Tripp of Tripp’s Primal Farm and Kitchen, a company selling his product nationwide now, and FPES hosts many suppers, breakfasts and other events in the building to raise funds. The building is also available to rent for birthdays, reunions and other gatherings.

Ed Roach questioned the agreement that will be made between the town and FPES. Selectman Jim Pulsifer and Chairman Lee Merrill stated that there is not an agreement written up yet, because the work will be done after the vote.
Roach stated that if the vote passes, then he wants to see the agreement run like any other town department with all checks and balances in place.

Wayne Moore, a member of the finance committee and planning board spoke up to inform residents that the cost to use the money from surplus is pennies compared to what other departments are using.
Moore stated, “It costs $1000 a year per resident to keep the school funded. It costs $65 a year per resident to keep the dump funded. But, if you do the math, it will only cost $6.60 per resident over the next year to keep this building open. Why not give our money to something the town owns and controls and feel good about it. Who knows where all our other money is going when we have to send it out like that.”

Waugh was the last one to speak, noting, “This is personal. I worked in this building for 15 years before they took the middle school kids away. When those kids left, something was taken from this town. We lost our identity. I want to see this building and everything that goes on it bring a sense of community back.”

For more information on the Peru Community Center and how you can support it by renting it for your next event or to obtain a listing of future events, please contact Nick Waugh at 562-7287. Also, be watching your mailbox, as there will be an informational newsletter coming out this week.