Colby College buys fourth downtown Waterville building
Colby College is continuing its investment into Waterville's downtown with the purchase of a fourth property in the last four months.
The private college in Waterville hasn’t yet revealed plans for the cluster of buildings, other than saying the purchases, through a limited liability companies, are part of its plan to contribute to existing downtown revitalization and economic development efforts.
The Colby Echo reported that the college has purchased the building at 13-15 Appleton St., a two-story brick building near the popular student café Selah Tea. The purchase price was not disclosed.
The building houses the Resurrection Life Church and has an adjacent parking lot. Unlike the other three properties purchased by the college this year, the church building was still in active use before the sale, according to the Morning Sentinel.
Ruth Jackson, Colby’s vice president for communications, told the Sentinel that the most recent purchase is part of the college’s larger downtown plan, but noted the college is still considering how the building will be used.
Jackson told Mainebiz in July that the initial purchases of the Hains Building at 173 Main St. for $220,000 and the former Levine's clothing store building at 9 Main St. for $200,000 were an outgrowth of Colby President David A. Greene's ongoing meetings with city officials, business leaders, downtown organizations and community advocates about downtown revitalization.
Jackson said the college is also looking to bridge the gap between the campus and the downtown through programs and initiatives to get more students, faculty and staff into the city center and contributing more to the local economy and arts scene.
In September the college purchased a building at 16-20 Main St., which had been vacant since being damaged by a fire in 2013.
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