CANTON — Selectmen decided Thursday night to schedule a special town meeting July 27 to ask voters for $60,000 to fund the demolition of the Canton Historical Society building and move the Masonic hall that is next door to that site.
The decision came after society members Gary Dougherty, Phyllis Ouellette and Liz Rothrock asked the board to waive the building permit fee for the work.
Ouellette said that earlier this year, she and other women from Canton were looking for a building that could accommodate a big community function. They discovered C.N. Brown was planning to expand The Big Apple store at 25 Turner St. and purchase the Masonic hall next door.
Company executives said if a nonprofit organization moved the hall by October, the company would give it to them, Ouellette said.
Ouellette’s group contacted the Historical Society, which she has since joined, and a plan to tear down the society’s building and move the hall was approved.
To pay for the demolition, build a 4-foot frost wall foundation and building move, members are applying for a grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, Ouellette said.
After hearing the plan, selectmen voted to waive all fees and set the special town meeting for financing, because approval of the grant application won’t be known until Sept. 1, too late for C.N. Brown’s timeline.
“I think what people will realize is the Historical Society is coming back alive and they are going to get involved with (it and) the new building, Town Administrator Scotty Kilbreth said. “I think it’s going to be a positive thing, so people will be behind it.”
The large two-story hall was built and used by the Grange, society President Dougherty said, and turned over to the Masons.
In other business, Selectman Russell Adams told the board that a representative from the state Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday looked at a section of River Road that is eroding.
The representative “recommended than an engineer draw up a plan to rebuild that section” to stabilize the bank of the Androscoggin River, Adams said.
Also at the meeting, Selectman Don Hutchins made a surprise announcement that he’s been chairman “for too long.” He nominated Vice Chairman Brian Keene, who was approved.
Hutchins also nominated Rob Walker as vice chairman, who was also approved.
Kilbreth welcomed new Selectman Carole Robbins, who was elected as a write-in last week. She succeeds Malcolm McKay, who chose not to run for the three-year term.
It was announced that the movie “The Secret Life of Pets” will be shown at dusk Saturday at the ball field on Route 140. The snack shack opens at 6:15 p.m. and moviegoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or a blanket.
