The University of Maine system has chosen a new buyer for the Hutchinson Center in Belfast, after a controversial decision to rescind an earlier sale agreement with another bidder.
University officials announced Friday that Waldo County Community Action Partners has been selected to negotiate with the system to take over the Hutchinson Center.
The Waldo County non-profit offered $3.06 million to buy the facility, which is a long-time education and events space that university officials said has not been widely used by students since the pandemic.
Earlier this year, the university system agreed to sell the property to Calvary Chapel Belfast for a bid of about $1 million.
But university officials then acknowledged concerns that the process failed to fully account for the economic impacts of the sale and decided to restart the bidding.
On Friday, university officials said the Waldo County non-profit demonstrated that it can meet the system's timeline for taking over the center, which could happen early next year. WCAP's bid of just more than $3 million was also above competing offers for the center and the property's appraised value of $2.5 million.
The Future of the Hutchinson Center Steering Committee and Waterfall Arts offered $1.8 million for the facility.
All three bidders offered to lease the space currently housing the NetworkMaine access infrastructure back to the university system for no cost for at least five years so that it can maintain internet connectivity in the midcoast.
The steering committee and the Calvary Chapel now have five days to appeal the award.
