Members of a Belfast church today expressed their disappointment with a decision by the University of Maine System to rescind its offer to sell the Hutchinson Center. It’s the latest in a long-running tussle over the future of the Belfast-based facility.
The UMaine System had previously agreed to sell the Hutchinson Center to the Calvary Chapel church after a competitive bid process.
But the Future of the Hutchinson Center Steering Committee, another local group interested in the property, objected, and the university system’s leadership found that the process did not fully account for the economic impact of the sale — specifically, the cost of relocating an internet connectivity hub onsite.
About 20 Calvary congregants, including Greg Whitcomb, testified at a board of trustees meeting Monday, registering their displeasure with the decision to rescind the sale.
“You can’t move the goalpost after the fact, we won, fair and square,” Whitcomb said. “That’s how business works. If I ran my business like this, I would soon have a reputation of being shady.”
Board chair Trish Riley said the church is welcome to re-apply when the system reopens the transfer process.
“So whatever the process is,” Riley said, “it’s a do over, not a done deal, and anyone can apply to be considered in whatever that next process is.”
Shane Flynn, with the Future of the Hutchinson Center group, welcomed the decision to restart the process, saying his group wants to see the facility used for community engagement and education.
“We want to make sure that as the economy develops in the area,” he said, “that there’s a facility there that’s open to the community and ready to meet the opportunities and the challenges that will lie ahead.”
The UMaine System said it expects to announce later this month how it will proceed, and what criteria will be considered in selecting the winning bid.
