WOODSTOCK — The Board of Selectmen agreed Tuesday evening to ask voters to decide in March whether to buy the Maine Department of Transporation’s former highway garage for $65,000.
Early this year, Lorrinda Connelly and Norm Haggan of the MDOT offered the 40- by 80-foot building to the town for $125,000. The building hasn’t been used since the state built another one on Main Street in Dixfield 10 years ago.
The old garage is at 366 Route 232.
Selectmen said they were interested in housing two PACE ambulance employees in the building to provide 24-hour coverage to Woodstock, or use it to store the town’s extra vehicles.
The MDOT later put the garage on the market for $150,000, Town Manager Vern Maxfield said.
The board made a counter offer of $90,000.
MDOT responded with a counter offer of $120,000 and the board voted against pursuing the purchase.
Maxfield told selectmen Tuesday evening that MDOT decided to offer the building to the town for $65,000, with the condition that it be used for transportation purposes.
“In the event that the town didn’t use the building for transportation, the building would be returned to MDOT, and the town could buy it back for market price,” he added.
Chairman Ron Deegan and Selectman Mike Nadeau said they were interested in the state’s latest offer, but Selectman Stephen Bies was hesitant.
“Are you 100 percent sure that we’ll always use the building for transportation?” Bies asked.
“No,” Maxfield said.
“Nothing is ever in concrete,” Deegan said, “but I can say that I don’t foresee us using that building for anything other than transportation.”
Bies said he was concerned that the town was making too many large purchases in a short time.
“We just spent $230,000 or so on a firetruck, and we may be spending $90,000 to purchase land for a boat launch,” Bies said. “I can’t look back on a time when we’ve spent so much money in a short period of time.”
Deegan said he believed if there was anything that would benefit the town, it should be put in front of the people so they could make the decision.
“The idea is to bring the issue to the taxpayers by putting it on the warrant for the annual town meeting,” Deegan said. “We give them the option to vote for or against it.”
Bies said, “I was under the assumption that we would be making a final decision tonight. You make a good point.”
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