PITTSFIELD, Maine — The Town Council decided Tuesday that it has no interest in taking ownership of the SAD 53 central office building on Hartland Avenue, which will be vacated by the school department this summer.
Councilors said that aside from the maintenance problems ranging from a wet basement to an aging roof, the town has no need to own another building.
“If we had something we wanted to use it for, it would make sense,” said Councilor Donna Chale. “I can’t think of a good use for it.”
Councilor Gary Jordan Jr. said he doesn’t want the town to be financially liable. “I don’t think we ought to take responsibility for it,” he said.
The 3,300-square-foot former school sits on 1.35 acres and is assessed by the town at $233,800. It is in use now as the administrative office building for SAD 53, but the school board voted in March to close it as a cost-cutting measure in the 2010-2011 budget, which begins July 1.
The Town Council did not take a formal vote on the matter, but after a brief discussion Mayor Timothy Nichols found little or no support for taking the building.
With the town declining to take the building, the school department has several options, including selling it, leasing it, tearing it down or doing nothing. Technically, the school department could opt to turn it over to the town anyway.
“I’d say sell it,” said Nichols. “It sounds like the majority here says sell it.”
In unrelated business, the council approved a contract with Central Maine Power Co. that allows the utility firm to upgrade power lines that cross the town’s recreational corridor near Hartland Avenue. Electrical lines already exist over the corridor, which is used by skiers, hikers, snowmobilers and ATV riders, but there was never a formal agreement between the town and CMP, said Town Manager Kathryn Ruth.
The company is proposing a huge upgrade of hundreds of miles of power transmission lines called the Maine Power Reliability Project, which runs through Pittsfield. The agreement reached Tuesday restricts CMP’s construction practices around the trail but effectively gives the company an easement in perpetuity. In exchange, CMP will pay the town a one-time fee of $5,000, said Ruth.
The council also approved an agreement between the town and HealthySV — a program administered by Sebasticook Valley Hospital — to use $2,225 in tobacco settlement money to bolster substance abuse prevention efforts in town. Under the program, the grant money will pay for Pittsfield officers’ overtime to conduct patrols in search of underage drinking and checks for alcohol sales compliance at local retailers.
