Waldo Community Action Partners proposed paying $3.06 million for the property, which is above the appraised value and nearly double that of any other offer
ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine System (UMS) has upheld the University of Maine’s decision to sell the Hutchinson Center in Belfast to Waldo Community Action Partners (WCAP), which had submitted the highest-scoring proposal to purchase the property.
The decision in response to a formal protest filed on Nov. 20 by Calvary Chapel Belfast (CCB) was that there was insufficient evidence to warrant overturning UMaine’s recent award to negotiate the terms and conditions of the sale to WCAP, which had proposed purchasing the property for $3.06 million — well above both the $2.52 million appraised value and the $1.1 million offer from CCB. WCAP also committed to leasing space back to the System for free so UMS can maintain internet connectivity in the midcoast through Networkmaine.
CCB may appeal the System’s decision on its protest within 10 business days. If they do so, the ruling by the UMS Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration on the second appeal stage would be final.
CCB’s protest centered on the outcome of an earlier solicitation, which ended in September when the System rescinded an award to negotiate after determining a deficiency in its original request for proposals (RFP), which had been issued in January. Specifically, the evaluation criteria did not adequately allow for the full financial impacts of proposals to be considered, including the costs to UMS or savings related to moving or maintaining the Networkmaine hub in its current location inside the Hutchinson Center.
To address this, the new RFP was issued in October and responses were scored based on the proposed purchase price in relation to the property’s appraised value (85 of 100 total points available), various contingencies typical with real estate transactions (10 points) and the cost of leasing the space currently housing Networkmaine infrastructure back to UMS (5 points).
In its decision letter sent earlier today to CCB, the System noted the established protest process “is specific to the terms, conditions, and evaluation of the proposals submitted under this solicitation” and that the RFP “adhered to all applicable policies and procedures, ensuring a fair and transparent process for all respondents.”
Hutchinson Center history
The decision to sell the Hutchinson Center followed two decades of UMaine delivering education there and then two years of stakeholder engagement when a decline in student enrollment and escalating operating costs made it clear it would no longer be viable for the public university to sustain the facility. Since 2020, no degree-seeking students have taken classes in-person on the property, which includes a 30,515-square-foot main building, a 1,963-square-foot barn and 11.6 acres.
The sale is consistent with a commitment in the System’s new strategic plan to achieve fiscal and energy efficiencies through the sale or lease of unused or underutilized buildings and land. In the last 16 months, System trustees have authorized the sale of 11 buildings totaling nearly 92,000 square feet and 113 acres.
Property transfers generate savings necessary to maintain affordable UMS education and allow the System’s limited financial resources — which come through taxpayer and tuition dollars — to be focused on improving infrastructure essential to the current and future needs of Maine and its students. As is standard with UMS property sales and other solicitations, the System has the right to terminate negotiations at any point if they are not proceeding in a manner that is in its best interest as a public institution.
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. That includes funding three-quarters of a large expansion project completed in 2009, for which UMaine still owes $885,000, plus interest.
About the University of Maine System
The University of Maine System (UMS) is the state’s largest driver of educational attainment and economic development and its seven public universities and law school are the most affordable in New England. Over the past two decades, UMS has awarded 106,362 degrees and spurred and strengthened thousands of small Maine businesses through its world-class research and development activities. For more information, visit www.maine.edu.
Media Contact:
Samantha Warren
Director of External Affairs, University of Maine System
207-632-0389 / samantha.warren@maine.edu