UMaine vets 3 new offers for Hutchinson Center in Belfast

Photo / Courtesy, University of Maine The Hutchinson Center was donated to the University of Maine in 2007.

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The University of Maine is vetting three new offers for the school’s Hutchinson Center in Belfast, all coming in response to a new request for proposals.

Samantha Warren, a spokeswoman for the Orono-based public university, confirmed that three offers had been submitted by Friday’s deadline at 5 p.m.

“The university cannot provide any other information about those proposals at this time — including the names of those who submitted proposals and any details about their proposals — but look forward to having an update hopefully this month once they have been thoughtfully reviewed and scored,” she told Mainebiz on Monday.

UMaine previously rescinded a planned sale of the vacant building and property at 80 Belmont Ave., amid a cloud of controversy over the initial RFP process.

In the initial request for proposals, Cavalry Church Belfast was selected over two other finalists, Waldo County Community Action Partners and the Friends of the Hutchinson Center/Waterfall Arts. Objecting to the decision, the thwarted suitors lodged separate protests.

In a final review of the appeals, one University of Maine System official found that the process was conducted fairly. However, the vice chancellor agreed that the evaluation criteria did not take full account of the financial impact of proposals.

The property, which has not hosted classes since 2020, comprises a 30,515-square-foot main building, 1,963-square-foot barn and 11.6 acres. The center was appraised at $2.52 million in 2023.

The Bank of America donated the Hutchinson Center to UMaine in 2007 as a gift with no conditions. Since then, the university has invested more than $14 million in capital improvements. They include funding three-quarters of a large expansion project completed in 2009, for which UMaine still owes $885,000.

The expansion nearly doubled the size of the building to meet the learner and community demand at the time, according to UMaine.