WAYNE -- Residents here will decide Tuesday how much to spend to rid the town office of mold and begin rehabbing it.

At a special town meeting, residents will decide whether to spend $2,600 to remove mold from the infested office on Lovejoy Pond Road and take steps toward putting the rehab work out to bid.

Selectmen are recommending that residents award Fred Duplisea, a Wayne contractor, the contract for removing the mold. The $2,600 would also cover additional testing for mold and, if needed, architectural designs for the rehab work, Wayne Town Manager Amy Bernard said.

The town office, located in the North Wayne section of town, closed in early September after town employees discovered the mold infestation, which had built up over the wet summer months as air conditioners dripped condensation down wall panels onto carpeted floors.

Town employees are working out of a room at Wayne Elementary School until they can return to the office.

Residents at Tuesday's meeting will also be asked to approve the costs associated with temporarily moving the office to the school. The move cost the town $3,500, Bernard said.

The money that residents approve will come from a special reserve account for land and building costs that currently has a $14,000 balance, according to Bernard.

Tuesday's meeting is the first of two special town meetings residents will attend to resolve town office issues. Residents will likely meet in November, Bernard said, to determine how much to spend to rehab the town office.

"I'm not going to venture to guess" how much the rehab work will cost, she said.

If all costs exceed the $14,000 in the building reserve accounts, Bernard said, the town will have to reach into other reserve accounts to fund the renovations.

Tuesday's meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Wayne Elementary School gymnasium.

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com