BUCKFIELD — Selectmen gave the green light Tuesday night for a local brokerage group to look for tenants for the second floor of the Municipal Building, now that the Fire and Rescue departments have moved into the new fire station.

Town Manager Cindy Dunn gave selectmen an email from Economic Development Committee Chairwoman Janet Iveson. The committee reached out to Western Hills Property Group of Norway to see if it could advertise for possible tenants for the space.

Dunn asked selectmen at their meeting two weeks ago to weigh the pros and cons of the town becoming a landlord again. She said there was a time when the town was a landlord to the now-defunct School Administrative District 39.

“Generally speaking, and in my opinion, the pro is to be able to generate a little revenue,” Dunn told selectmen.

One of the cons could include conflicts between tenants if there’s more than one in that space, she said. Another is if tenants didn’t pay rent, the town would have to hire an attorney and incur legal fees to go through the eviction process.

“That was my thought to avoid any of those issues (is) to have someone rent the whole (space) . . . ,” Selectman Cheryl Coffman said.

Another disadvantage Dunn pointed out was the location, figuring it would probably be best for any business that moves in to be Internet-based.

“It is definitely a usable space,” Dunn said. “The only drawback, of course, is the stairs. We do have that chairlift. It is accessible but it is limited in that the chairlift goes really slow.”

The second floor has a total of 3,060 square feet, which includes the large conference room and four offices. Without the conference room, there’s roughly 2,100 square feet.

In an email to Iveson, Chris Miller of Western Maine Property Group gave possible rental scenarios for the space. For multiple tenants, rent could be between $1,575 to $2,100, with the town footing the bill for all utilities and maintenance. For a single tenant rental, including the conference room, the town could charge between $1,712 and $2,477 with the town paying half of the utilities and expenses. For a single tenant without the conference room, rent could range between $992 to $1,517 with the town paying two-thirds of the utilities and maintenance.

Miller wrote that the rent figures are based on charging $0.75 to $1 per square foot per month. The rate comes from there not being a similar space available for rent in Buckfield and based on other rental spaces in the vicinity.

“You ever had anybody ask to rent it?” Selectman Scott Violette asked Dunn.

“No, but it really hasn’t been available,” Dunn said. “When we moved here in ’91, the school was up there. And after they left and shortly thereafter, fire and rescue administration moved up.”

Dunn said Western Hills Property Group charges one month’s rent for its fee to obtain tenants for the space.

“The only way to find out if we have any interest or not is to put it forth and see,” Coffman said. “If we get a tenant we don’t think is going to be suitable, then we have the right to say (no).”

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