By Lisa Chmelecki,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – City officials announced Friday that they have signed an option to buy the former St. Dominic Regional High School property for $200,000.

The 83-year-old brick building overlooking Kennedy Park has been empty since December 2001, when the high school moved to a new facility in Auburn.

At one point, the hope was to convert the aging structure on Bates Street into affordable housing for the elderly.

City officials spent months working with the Lewiston Housing Authority to come up with the $11 million needed for the massive renovation project.

The plan fell through last fall when it became clear that the city wasn’t going to get the federal funding it needed.

Despite this setback, city officials informed the building’s owner, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, that it was still interested in buying the downtown property.

“It’s pretty obvious that the property is of significant interest,” said Assistant City Administrator Paul Nadeau.

The city may have no choice but to demolish the old school. But, according to Nadeau, nothing will be decided until the city conducts a detailed inspection of the building.

“Regardless of which way this goes, it will still be important for us to be able to control the property,” he said. “For the price, we think the time to strike is now.”

The Lewiston City Council will have the ultimate say in whether the city buys the parcel. It is scheduled to vote on it May 3.

Councilor Ronald Jean said he’ll vote in favor of the purchase as long as the plan is to demolish it and make room for something else.

“The building itself is a done deal,” Jean said. “To renovate it, would be huge. I don’t think there is any school or any organization that has the money to put into it.”

Councilor Norm Rousseau agreed.

“That building is probably in much more disarray that anyone anticipates,” he said. “But I think it makes sense to hold it as a future development site.”

Both councilors believe it will be easy for the city to get its money back given the site’s downtown location.

According to Nadeau, a developer has already expressed interest in the property. He declined to release any details, saying only that discussions are under way.

Jim Dowling, executive director of the Lewiston Housing Authority, is hopeful that the property, or at least a portion of it, can still be used for affordable elderly housing.

“It’s a key piece of property in the downtown,” Dowling said. “And I think housing would certainly be a suitable use for it.”

Affordable housing is a possibility, Nadeau said.

“Everything is on the table,” he added. “That’s the good news.”