A Belfast church has filed a lawsuit against the University of Maine System after it rescinded an initial award allowing the church to buy the Hutchinson Center.
Calvary Chapel Belfast was initially selected as the winning bidder for the educational center.
But last week, the UMaine system chose Waldo County Community Action Partners as the new buyer after restarting the bidding process. WCAP offered just more than $3 million for the facility during the second competitive bid process, more double
The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Bangor, claims that the university system engaged in religious discrimination when it rescinded the church's bid to buy the center.
"[The University of Maine System] has demonstrated selective treatment in handling both RFPs, and such actions set a precedent that undermines fairness and neutrality in future public transactions, including that religious organizations in the community, such as the Church, can be discriminated against in the bidding process on the basis of its religious views," the lawsuit reads.
The church is seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the sale.
It also filed a formal appeal of the sale with the University of Maine, system spokesperson Samantha Warren said Wednesday morning in an email. Sale negotiations are now on pause until the protest is resolved.
"The University of Maine System is still reviewing the complaint filed yesterday but strongly disagrees with any allegations of discrimination," Warren said in a statement. "As we have previously stated, every organization had the same opportunity to submit a proposal to purchase the Hutchinson Center, and every proposal received was scored by the same objective standards."
