UMaine System rescinds sale of Belfast building to church [Video]

The University of Maine System has rescinded a controversial decision to allow Calvary Chapel Belfast to purchase the Hutchinson Center in Belfast, citing a shortcoming in the original methodology used to determine the winning bid.

The change, announced in a statement Thursday afternoon, follows weeks of criticism from other bidders and community members who have argued that the center should remain a community hub and called the procurement process unclear. The university system’s decision to sell the building to Calvary Chapel Belfast, an evangelical church, sparked frustration among locals and prompted protests from the two other bidders: Waldo Community Action Partners and the Future of Hutchinson Center Steering Committee.

Both organizations appealed the decision, but Waldo Community Action Partners’ protest was determined to be without merit, the university said in a letter to its president, Donna Kelley. Kelley did not reply to emailed questions about whether her group would file …