Belfast is pushing back its timeline for cleaning up a condemned building downtown, due to delays from the federal government.
Work to demolish the former Bradbury Manor nursing home will begin sometime after Oct. 15, 2026, and end before April 30, 2027, the city says. It had intended to finish work at the site, located at 74 High St., before Memorial Day this year, to avoid affecting nearby businesses during the tourist season.
“The EPA was shut down for a while, and I think that just kind of derailed trying to get everything done in a timely manner,” said Thomas Kittredge, Belfast’s economic development director.
Delays at the EPA slowed down the process of getting the necessary approvals and authorizations, Kittredge said. By the time the city had the approvals, it was the end of March and that left little time to put the work out to bid and get it done before the tourist season began, he said.
Despite the delay, Spencer Stephens, who lives a block from the building, was glad to hear that there is now a clearer timeline for the cleanup.
“It’s an ugly blemish on the face of Belfast, and it’s a shame that it has been able to stand for as long as it has,” he said.
The building has been “vacant and deteriorating” since 1995, according to documents from the Environmental Protection Agency. But its demolition is complicated by the fact that it contains asbestos, lead paint and other toxic materials, Kittredge has said.
Demolishing the building and cleaning up the site will cost about $460,000, according to estimates the city made in 2024, though Kittredge said rising costs could affect that number. The city intends to pay for the cleanup of Bradbury Manor and the former Waldo County Superior Courthouse using a $2 million grant from the EPA.
The city plans to put the project out to bid this summer. In the meantime, it is conducting work next week at the site that will help it prepare the bid.
In 2024, the city seized the building by eminent domain after its owner failed to follow a court order to tear the building down.