The University of Maine System defended on Thursday its decision to sell the Hutchinson Center – once a community hub in Belfast – to an evangelical church, arguing that considering the group’s religious affiliation could amount to illegal discrimination.

The university system’s decision to sell to Calvary Chapel of Belfast sparked controversy among locals and prompted protests from the two other bidders: Waldo Community Action Partners and the Future of Hutchinson Center Committee. Both those initial appeals were denied, the university said in a statement Thursday.

“The university cannot discriminate, including on the basis of religion. Doing so would be against the law and inconsistent with the university’s commitment to inclusion,” the statement said. “Long-standing state and system public procurement policy and process is intentionally designed to protect against bias and ensure the integrity of public entities in their stewardship of public resources and trust.”

One bidder said they have no issues with the site going to a church but with the procurement process itself, which they said was unclear. The university system said it offered an equal opportunity to submit proposals for the Hutchinson Center and that the scoring standards were publicly available for eight months before officials settled on a buyer.

The system’s statement did not comment on the church’s specific plans for the site.

The church plans to use the site to house its addiction recovery efforts and its homeschool co-op program, according to a plan posted on its website.

Greg Huston, lead pastor at Calvary Chapel, quoted and praised the university’s statement on discrimination in an email Thursday evening.

“The process was fair and equitable,” Huston said. “We are very excited at the many ways we will serve Waldo County with our various services and outreach programs.”

He said the church does not yet have a timeline for taking over or renovating the center.

Samantha Warren, spokesperson for the university system, said the university hopes to complete the transaction by the fall to avoid paying heightened maintenance costs, like heating fuel, during the winter months.

The university said in its statement that neither protesting group presented “evidence to warrant a revision of the original result.” It also outlined specific differences between proposals by the church and Waldo CAP, both of which offered $1 million for the site.

The church’s proposal included a perpetual $1 per year lease for a carve-out space the UMaine System uses to host an internet access hub in the center, the university said. Waldo CAP’s proposal included a similar lease, but it was priced at $2 per square foot annually.

The church also waived its right to inspect the property and offered $250,000 in earnest money, which was more than five times Waldo CAP’s offer, the university system said.

Representatives of  Waldo Community Action Partners did not respond to calls and emails Thursday asking for comment on the university’s statement and attempting to verify those figures.

University policy allows rejected bidders to submit an additional appeal within 10 business days of receiving a written decision.

Typically, that appeal would go to the chief facilities and general services officer, “but that individual recused themselves from the chain of appeal” since they had been involved in putting together the request for proposal, Warren said. Instead, appeals will be sent to Ryan Low, the vice chancellor for finance and administration.

Shane Flynn, spokesperson for the Future of Hutchinson Center Committee, the third group to submit a bid, said the group plans to continue with its protest.

GROUP PLANS TO CHALLENGE DECISION

In phone call Thursday night, Flynn said the committee members “intend to pursue all the options we can,” but said he was not sure how far they would take the protest.

Flynn challenged the university’s claims that the procurement process was transparent. He said that while the committee was aware that they would be given a point score, “we didn’t know how they were going to score it.”

“This process was anything but transparent,” Flynn said.

In its request for proposals, the university outlines specific, quantitative scoring formulas for some categories, but others are said to be determined by “consensus approach.” The RFP also states that determinations will be made at the university’s discretion alone.

Flynn said that the Hutchinson Center, built by Delaware-based bank holding company MBNA and later gifted to the school by Bank of America, was intended to be a resource for the entire Belfast community.

“The people of this community put dollars on the line,” Flynn said. “And they are upset that something that was given to the university can be taken out of community usage.”

Flynn said the church’s religious affiliation is not an issue for the committee.

“What the chapel does, and what their beliefs are and how they articulate what they do is not our business,” Flynn said. “We have issue with the university and the process.”

This story was updated at 9 a.m. Aug. 23, to correct information about the appeals process.