Staff Writer
OAKFIELD, Maine — A preservation committee has agreed to purchase one of Oakfield’s older buildings.
The Universalist Church, an aging Main Street structure, is set to be purchased by the Oakfield Preservation Committee. The sale is expected to be complete within the next 30 days. At a special Dec. 3 town meeting, roughly 15 townspeople OK’d an amended warrant article which allowed the Board of Selectmen to enter into a purchase and sale agreement with the group for $1.
Town Manager Dale Morris said in a Dec. 5 interview that the building’s decrepit condition caused the town to explore its options.
“It was really the report from the insurance company,” he said. “[It detailed] the building deficiencies and what needed to be fixed. That’s what really got things moving. I think people have slowly realized the building needs a lot of repairs and the town is not in a financial condition to be pouring a lot of money into it.”
Morris said the preservation committee had expressed some plans to pursue grant funds for building improvements.
The building had been home to the Nature’s Bounty Food Pantry; the non-profit organization is now seeking another location. (See related story on page two)
Also at the special town meeting, voters defeated a proposal that would have allowed the town to sell a surplus fire truck to the Oakfield Firefighter Association. Instead voters decided to put the vehicle up for bid and sell it to the highest bidder.
Morris said the vehicle is between 20 and 30 years old, and that proceeds from the sale would be put in the town’s general fund. He said there’s been some discussion about designating proceeds for fire department use; that action would have to be decided at town meeting.
All other items on the warrant that night were approved as presented. They included: authorization for the selectmen to borrow funds in anticipation of taxes for the first three months of 2008; authorization to enter the Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust and appropriation of $2,900 for the Houlton Animal Shelter for fiscal year 2007.
