WILTON — A second offer to buy the former Wilton Primary School is now on the table, but selectmen want more details before accepting either proposal.

The board decided Tuesday to wait another month for the information and continue the discussion at their Oct. 6 meeting.

An offer submitted by Eric Rutberg and Rick Condon that proposes turning the property into an alternative school would bring a sale price of $100,000 for the property but is contingent upon receipt of grant money and review by the town’s Planning Board for a change-of-use permit.

Both Rutberg of Wilton and Condon of Skowhegan are licensed clinical counselors who have developed a plan for a school that would offer an experiential education to junior and senior high students at risk of not staying in public schooling, Rutberg told the board. Experiential teaching would often bring students out of the classroom to experience learning based on their interests while preparing them for college, work or a return to public schooling.

One unanswered question has been where in Maine to locate the school, he said.

They had just learned of the board’s request for proposals for the primary school and decided the Wilton location was perfect for hosting the school. Tiffany Maiuri offered to write grant applications to fund the purchase, renovation and start of the school, he said.

Another proposal from Keith Swett to purchase the school for $1 and turn it into nine apartments raised concerns from neighbors at the board’s Aug. 4 meeting. The board delayed acting on the proposal and provided more time for others to be submitted. The school proposal was the only one received.

While nearly a dozen neighbors attended Tuesday’s meeting and some were favorable to the idea of the school, the board had concerns and were willing to wait for answers.

With dependence on grant money, board members questioned the proposed timing of submitting grant applications and the process of waiting for acceptance, which would continue the town’s possession of the building for potentially another 15 months.

The town could lose a lot of time and other potential opportunities by waiting, said Selectman Irv Faunce, who suggested that some “earnest money” to remove the building from sale consideration was practiced in most business deals.

Rutberg’s plan included a couple cottage industries being developed at the school to help support the nonprofit alternative education.

Selectman Tom Saviello wanted more information including a market survey, whether the cottage industries were taxable by the town as the school would not be, opinions from surrounding neighbors, and a balance sheet projecting expenses and income.

Some board members felt the board should continue to look at alternatives including selling the old school at an auction or demolishing it and selling the lot for redevelopment, as some taxpayers have suggested.

abryant@sunjournal.com

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