The University of Maine System has denied an appeal that a Belfast church filed late last month over its decision to sell the local Hutchinson Center to a different group.
Calvary Chapel Belfast filed its appeal in late November, after it was originally selected as the buyer for the Hutchinson Center during a first round of proposals, but then lost out to another bidder after the UMaine System rescinded the first offer and sought a second round of proposals.
The system has said that it rescinded the initial offer because it had not used the appropriate criteria to evaluate the first round of proposals. Calvary Chapel Belfast has separately filed a lawsuit about the revocation of the first offer, claiming it was motivated by religious discrimination — which the system denies.
After the second round of proposals, the UMaine System chose to sell the Hutchinson Center to Waldo Community Action Partners, a Belfast-based nonprofit organization that offers a variety of services targeted to lower income residents and families.
In the second round, Waldo CAP offered to pay $3.06 million for the property, compared to the $1.1 million offer from Calvary Chapel Belfast and a third offer of $1.8 million from a partnership of the Future of the Hutchinson Center Steering Committee with Waterfall Arts.
In a statement, the UMaine System said that Calvary Chapel Belfast provided “insufficient evidence to warrant overturning UMaine’s recent award to negotiate the terms and conditions of the sale to” Waldo CAP. It pointed to the purchase price offered by Waldo CAP, saying it was “well above both the $2.52 million appraised value [of the Hutchinson Center] and the $1.1 million offer from CCB.
Calvary Chapel Belfast was the only group to appeal the system’s decision to sell the facility to Waldo CAP after the second round of proposals. The church now has the opportunity to file a second appeal.
