
Livermore Falls selectmen on Jan. 21 decide how to dispose of properties owned by the town. Four will be sold by sealed bid while the former Methodist church/parsonage property will be listed with a real estate broker. Pictured from left during the discussion are Selectmen Bruce Peary, Jim Long, William Kenniston, Jeffrey Bryant and John Barbioni. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser
LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen on Tuesday evening, Jan. 21, voted to table bid specifications for one property and move forward with the sale of four other town owned properties by sealed bids.
The town has owned the properties at 100 Main St., the corner of Park St. and Leeds Rd., and 22 Gagnon St. for years, Town Manager Carrie Castonguay said. The former Methodist Church/parsonage property at 28/30 Church St. and one at 95 Park St. were foreclosed on in December due to unpaid sewer fees. Selectmen on Jan. 7 tabled decisions on the five properties to obtain more information.
On Dec. 17, selectmen considered how to proceed with 22 properties that were foreclosed on due to unpaid sewer fees. They voted to put some properties on the market, develop repayment plans for several, and tabled decisions on others.
On Dec. 10, selectmen reviewed the list of 22 properties with 20 owners they were given at their meeting Dec. 3. No decisions were made but some suggestions for how to proceed were shared.
After discussion on Tuesday, selectmen voted to table the Church St. properties and list them with a realtor, stipulating that the church be torn down and restricting it from the production or sale of marijuana and cannabis products.
Castonguay said she had a general information sheet for the sales and individual bid forms that needed to have dates and minimum bid amounts determined.
She verified for Selectman Jim Long the properties would be auctioned off by sealed bid with the board selecting the most appropriate bid. Long also asked that conditions be placed on the Church St. property that it not be used for the production or sale of marijuana or cannabis products as it had been a church.
Ken Jacques with Meservier & Associates, a real estate business with an office at 42 Main St. in Livermore Falls, suggested the former church property be listed rather than going through the bid process. “That property on Church St. is a fairly saleable property,” he said. “If you list it, it’s known to anybody around the world.”
He noted the parsonage is still a pretty solid building but didn’t believe there was any chance of saving the church. “The brickwork is just so bad that all the buttresses that they put on there are falling off,” he said. “Investors can come in, purchase the building and take the church down. Possibly they could regain some of their money with the sale of the organ, all the stained glass windows, things of that nature.”
Jacques said it’s a large parcel of land, another house could possibly be built on it. The parsonage could probably be saved and that might be enticing to an investor,” he stated. “We are getting a lot of investors from outside the area and my concern is if it’s just put out to bid locally you are missing a whole group of buyers.”
He told Long whatever deed restrictions wanted by the Select Board could be included. He proposed adding a stipulation that the church be taken down. “You don’t want that thing sitting there, ending up on Knapp Street,” he stressed. “That’s been falling apart for 10 years.”
Jacques said renovating the church could easily cost more than $1 million, perhaps $2 million today. The church, parking lot and area with the Conex boxes [containers] could possibly be turned into another house lot, he noted.
Chair William Kenniston appreciated the input. He said he was not familiar with selling, markets, how that worked.
Jacques thought the church/parsonage property could be one of the more valuable ones, the town could realize more money on it’s sale with the right buyer. If listing it didn’t work, the bid process could then be used, he said. “Fewer people see it when it is just a sealed bid, everybody sees it when it becomes a marketing property,” he stated.
Under Multiple Listing Service [MLS], the property could be listed as both a residential and a commercial property to get different people looking at it, Jacques added.
Selectman Jeffrey Bryant said only an investor could afford to take the church down if that was stipulated. “If we didn’t do this, we are going to end up with this again and again and again, then the town is going to really have to take the expense of tearing it down,” he noted. “I think we are missing an opportunity if we put it out to bid.”
Selectmen voted that sealed bids for the other four properties be returned by close of business on Monday, March 3, with bid opening taking place at the March 4 meeting.
Minimum bid amounts [to cover unpaid taxes or sewer fees and other expenses] were also set as follows:
• Map 15, Lot 19 [95 Park St., 0.32 acres] $3,250.
• Map 20. Lot 18 [100 Main St., 0.18 acres] $25,600.
• Map 5, Lot 5 [corner of Park St. and Leeds Rd., 1 acre] $2,100.
• Map 20, Lot 30 [22 Gagnon St., 0.18 acres] $12,500.
In other business, the proposal with a 6% buyers’ fee from Meservier and Associates for the sale of town owned properties in the next 12 months was approved by the board.
Castonguay said in an effort to support local businesses, requests were sent to two real estate companies with offices in Livermore Falls. The Whittemore Realty Group, 75 Main St., did not submit a proposal, she noted.
On Jan. 22 Castonguay provided an updated list on the properties foreclosed on in December due to unpaid sewer fees:
• Fees have been paid in full for 69 Church St. and 34 Otis St.
• Properties at 80 Depot and 5 Gordon streets have had mortgage foreclosures with sewer fees paid in full.
• The owner of 22 Gilbert St. has been making payments, but the property is still listed as being sold through the town attorney.
• Properties at 18 Millett and 19 Prospect streets are also listed as being sold through the town attorney with the latter owner working with Community Concepts.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs. You can modify your screen name here.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.