LEWISTON — The developers behind a planned renovation of the former Lincoln Street fire station — set to become a new Portland Pie Co. restaurant — are seeking another extension of an agreement to purchase the property because of delays caused by the federal government shutdown.

If approved by the City Council on Tuesday, it will mark the sixth extension for the project. But despite the complications caused by the shutdown, city officials are optimistic about the project.

According to a memo to the council from Lincoln Jeffers, director of Economic and Community Development, all the needed pieces are in place, except for Historic Preservation Tax Credits that are held up by the government shutdown.

The historic tax credits, which account for one-third of the project costs, are issued by the National Park Service, which is closed.

According to Jeffers, buyers for the historic credits “have been secured,” however before the financing can be finalized, the National Park Service needs to approve the second phase of the tax credit application.

Jeffers said that portion of the application describes “the condition of the building, the work to be done, and how it complies with (National Park Service) standards for maintaining the historic integrity of the building.”

The former Lewiston fire substation, at 188 Lincoln St., was saved from demolition in 2017, when Portland-based developers Kara Wilbur and Paul Peck arranged a purchase-and-sale agreement with the city.

The substation was built in 1964 to serve the mills and the Little Canada neighborhood, as the active railroad made access difficult from Central Station. Once the access issue went away, the station’s role was diminished, and it closed in 1996. It served in later years as space for the Police Department’s Computer Crimes Task Force and storage for Public Works.

Jeffers said in his memo that a historic preservation consultant is in the final stages of developing the application for the tax credits, but said that as the shutdown continues, “the back log of historic preservation tax credit applications to be reviewed and acted upon grows.”

The city’s purchase and sale agreement was set to expire Jan. 31, but because of  the tax credit delay and uncertainty behind the government shutdown, the developers requested that the agreement be extended through June 28.

Jeffers said despite the tax credit hiccup, Portland Pie has committed to lease the space, a general contractor has been secured, bank financing for the project has been approved, and the city has approved a $100,000 loan and a $50,000 grant for the project.

Wilbur previously told the Sun Journal that Portland Pie would occupy the entire first floor of the old firehouse, with plans for creating rental living space on the second floor.

Barrett set for extension

Also on Tuesday, the Lewiston council is set to extend its employment contract with City Administrator Ed Barrett through June 2020. It will bring him through his 10th year at the helm.

Barrett was hired by the city in 2009, and this is his ninth contract extension. Prior to being hired in Lewiston, Barrett served as city administrator in Bangor for nearly 22 years.

As of June 2017, Barrett’s salary was $127,455. The contract was last extended in April 2018.

Choice Neighborhood Grant

During a workshop Tuesday, the council will get an update on the city’s $1.3 million Choice Neighborhood planning and implementation grant, which Lewiston was awarded last year.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development program was created to help municipalities create plans to redevelop “severely distressed HUD-assisted housing and revitalize neighborhoods.”

The city was a co-applicant for the grant with Community Concepts, and has since partnered with Healthy Neighborhoods in order to form a plan to transform the Tree Streets neighborhood of downtown Lewiston.

According to a memo from Misty Parker, the city’s economic development specialist, that planning process is halfway complete.

In the memo, she said the majority of the work this past summer focused on creating an assessment of existing conditions in the neighborhood and listening to residents through “strategic public outreach.”

arice@sunjournal.com

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