AUBURN — The City Council may have put a six-month pause on the matter of a new Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, but Sheriff Eric Samson still considers 774 Center St. his future home.

Samson recently had signs hung at the location, announcing it as the future site of his department.

“They look good, don’t they?” the sheriff said.

Call it playful optimism — the sheriff said he’s still hopeful that issues with the city can be sorted out so his staff can clear out of their crumbling, moldy, 165-year-old building on Turner Street.

Earlier in the year the Androscoggin County Commission approved $4.52 million to purchase the former Evergreen Subaru property at 774 Center St. as the new home for the department. Samson and his crew began celebrating at once.

But city leaders said the news of that development had taken them by surprise and they had several concerns about the new location. With that in mind, the council in February approved a six-month moratorium that will hit the pause button on plans for the new sheriff’s department. The matter is expected to be addressed again later in the year.

Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque, as it happens, is not a fan of Samson’s new signs, and especially while the moratorium is still in effect.

“They have not tried to rectify our concerns,” the mayor said, “and putting that sign up seems a bit premature on their end and shows their disrespect of the City Council.”

Samson said he considers the new signs a morale booster for his deputies and other workers who continue working out of the cramped, old building. His optimism remains.

“After evaluating the situation and following the recommendation of many about placing signage,” Samson said, “we decided to move forward and are excited to move forward once the moratorium is lifted or expires.”

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