BUCKSPORT — There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there could be a free building and acre of land for someone willing to work with the town to redevelop a historic Main Street property.
Bucksport town officials will hold a meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m. at the town office to answer questions about Wilson Hall, a building the town may give away to an interested developer.
Bucksport intends to transfer the building along with 1.07 acres of property to the individual or firm whose plan for private or public reuse of the building is chosen by the Bucksport Town Council.
“I’m casting this net wide,” said Bucksport Economic Development Director Dave Milan at a recent economic development committee meeting. “We’re open to any kind of ideas. But if we give you the property, we’re partnering with you.”
The building, which is located downtown at 34 Main St., was constructed in 1851 for the Eastern Maine Conference Seminary. The structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The building does need work. Bucksport hired a contractor this fall to temporarily patch the roof for the winter.
“Structurally, it’s a rectangular brick building with nothing inside, which is a good thing,” Milan said. “It’s a blank canvas.”
However, it is in much better condition than Milan had anticipated.
“I left there with a 180-degree turn about what to do with the building,” said Milan. “It has a lot of potential. It’s got some really cool fireplaces.”
All proposals should be submitted in an envelope marked Wilson Hall Proposal no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, to the Bucksport town office.
See the town’s website for more information at www.bucksportmaine.gov or call Milan at 469-7368.
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Jennifer Osborn
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