From Staff Reports

OLD ORCHARD BEACH — A bill to override a glitch that could negatively impact the funding process for the Edith Belle Libby Memorial Library expansion is now law.

LD 1855, An Act to Validate Certain Proceedings Authorizing the Issuance of Bonds and Notes of the Town of Old Orchard Beach, was sponsored by state Sen. Linda Valentino, D-Saco.

“Our libraries are the centers of literary and cultural enrichment of our communities,” said Valentino, in a statement issued this morning. “With this expansion, the Libby Library will continue this legacy for generations to come.”

In 2011, voters in Old Orchard Beach approved a $2 million bond for the expansion of the Edith Belle Libby Memorial Library.

The library, at 27 Staples St., was built in the 1950s, and library officials have long said the building does not accommodate the modern needs of the facility.

Recently, the town attorney at Drummond and Woodsum found a legal error during a review of the referendum process. The town attorney discovered the town’s referendum question was combined with state ballot questions in one item for approval by the town council, when it should have been separate.

In a recent phone interview, Town Manager Larry Mead said this “technical process error” was “very minor,” and that otherwise, the process was followed correctly. Mead said, however, that when going out to bond, the town would have to disclose that there was an error, which could be a deterrent to lenders.

A ground-breaking for the project was held earlier this month, and renovations to the library are expected to be complete by November.

In the interim, the library is operating at the Lions Club on Saco Avenue.