​Androscoggin County commissioners want to explore more options for the fate of the Evergreen Subaru building in Auburn, which the county purchased four years ago for $4.5 million to be the new sheriff’s office.

Last year, commissioners rejected a proposed $29 million bond to renovate the building at 774 Center St. in Auburn by a 4-3 vote.

During a workshop Wednesday commissioners reviewed information about a lower-cost $26 million project. The majority thought it was still too much for taxpayers.

Commissioner Roland Poirier, of Lewiston, said they should move forward and allow taxpayers to vote on the project.​ ​He said commissioners have been “kicking the can down the road” for too long.

​Poirier suggested some design changes that could lower costs. Others suggested not moving the communications/dispatch center to the new building and keeping it at the Androscoggin County Building at 2 Turner St. in Auburn, potentially reducing the cost significantly.

Commissioner Garrett Mason suggested selling ​t​he Subaru building and putting the proceeds into a county reserve​ fund to renovate the existing county building or ​to fund​potential unfunded ​state mandates​.

County administrative offices and Androscoggin County Superior Court are also housed in the county building. However the court is expected to mov​e in 2029​ or sooner to 55 Lisbon St. in Lewiston, the former Depositors Trust/KeyBank building, adjacent to the Lewiston District Court. ​Both buildings​ will be renovated to create the Androscoggin Judicial Center, according to ​Maine Judicial Branch spokeswoman Barbara Cardone.

Commissioners reviewed a worksheet presented by Chute that showed costs for recent public safety projects​ in the region.

Auburn​’s new Public Safety Building, which will be located at 550 Minot Ave.​ where Central Fire​ Station is currently located​, is estimated to cost about $39 million​, though it was bonded for about $42 million. It will house both police and firefighters and is expected to be completed in 2028 with an estimated 63,000 square feet of space.

The Lewiston Police Department, which moved in 2025 into a redeveloped mill building at 141 Mill St., cost about $16.8 million. It has 48,000 square feet.

​The Franklin County Emergency Operations Center opened in 2025 in Farmington. It is a one-story building with about 7,500 square feet. It cost about $4.6 million. It houses the sheriff’s department, county government administration, the unorganized territory manager, financial officers, emergency management and the Information Technology Department. The regional communications center is in a separate building next door and the jail is across from the center.

Funding for the center came from $2 million in Congressional Directed Spending, $1.7 in American Rescue Plan Act funds, and $700,00 from county tax-increment financing agreement designated to the unorganized territory.

J.P. Schwartz of AlliedCook Construction provided information on the $26 million project proposal to Androscoggin County Commissioners Wednesday. He said his company would be willing to do a reverse-engineered project in which county officials would give AlliedCook a target construction cost and the company would prepare a proposal based on that.

Chute noted the city of Auburn passed a new ordinance last year regarding vacant buildings. Under the new law, if the property is declared vacant, it would cost more for permits and fees to get the project going. Chute said he has tried to get the property registered as a warehouse or some other category but was rejected.

A couple of the commissioners said they would challenge the ordinance, but asked to have city officials come to the commissioners’ next meeting at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at the county building to discuss the matter.