The University of Maine System has rescinded a controversial decision to allow Calvary Chapel Belfast to purchase the Hutchinson Center in Belfast, citing a shortcoming in the original methodology used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

In a final review of the appeals, Ryan Low, the UMaine System’s vice chancellor for finance and administration, determined that the system’s request for proposal process was fair and emphasized that the reversal does not reflect any specific details of any proposal, but agreed with claims that the evaluation criteria failed to “allow for the full financial impacts of proposals to be considered.”

Low specifically cited an appeal made by the steering committee, which argued that the original evaluation criteria did not factor in the potential cost of moving an on-site network hub.

“The cost associated with the relocation of equipment that’s in the building would be substantial,” steering committee spokesperson Shane Flynn said during a Thursday afternoon phone call.

Flynn added that he had not heard about the reversal before the university system sent its release.

“I feel very heartened,” Flynn said. “I think that there are ways to do this better.”

In a letter to the committee, Low said “the avoidance of hundreds of thousands of dollars in relocation expenses presents clear financial and operational benefits that are decidedly in the best interests of the System” and should have been considered in its initial determinations.

The reversal of the award cannot be challenged by any party, the system said its statement.

Greg Huston, lead pastor at Calvary Chapel, told the Press Herald he was given no prior notice by the university.

In an email shared with the Press Herald, Huston told Low it was unfair that the opposing groups had multiple chances to appeal the sale, “yet the church gets no such opportunity.”

“It is very clear that a new RFP will be submitted either to placate the upset community members and/or to get a higher bottom dollar on this facility,” Huston wrote to Low. “We will not go quietly into the night.”

The system previously defended approving the sale in part by claiming that considering the church’s religious beliefs would have amounted to illegal discrimination.

A PROCEDURAL SHORTCOMING

Low said Thursday that the reversal stemmed from “a single deficiency of the evaluation criteria and is not a reflection on the merits of the proposals” in the Thursday release.

Samantha Warren, spokesperson for the UMaine System, said the decision was based solely on the issue with the criteria.

“This is not about selling or not selling to any respondent, but rather an acknowledgment of a shortcoming in our development of this very unique RFP,” Warren said in a Thursday evening email.

The center was built by Delaware-based bank holding company MBNA and later gifted to the school by Bank of America. The building has not hosted classes for degree-seeking students since 2020, and rental rates for things like conferences never returned to pre-pandemic levels, the system said. Programming ceased completely last year.

Though the site was appraised in 2023 at $2.5 million and could have been listed with a commercial broker – as is typical of university system properties – the system opted for a competitive bidding process in hopes of maintaining the center’s status as a community hub.

The university system plans to announce rules by Sept. 26 for the next steps, which might include further bids or listing the property with a commercial broker.

“To safeguard that future process, the System and UMaine will not comment further on the RFP that has just concluded,” the system’s statement said.

ANOTHER ROUND OF BIDDING?

Flynn said his group would likely submit another bid if given the chance, but would likely need to rework its proposal now that the circumstances have changed.

He said the committee hopes to continually engage with the university if offered the site, allowing the building’s uses to remain fluid depending on shifting local needs.

“Our approach was to have this center have wide open doors. … So that things may be done that can’t be anticipated today,” Flynn said. “The future of the Hutchinson Center is critically important to the people of the Midcoast area.”

But Jason Stutheit, who is listed as the church’s president in letters from the university system, said their proposal also aimed to “do great things for the community” and said the rescinded offer felt “like a kick in the nuts.”

Stutheit said he was listed as president in applications for clerical reasons, because he would be financing the sale but is actually not a member. Stutheit owns a portfolio of construction firms in Maine, he said.

Reached by phone Thursday afternoon, Stutheit said he and his family live in Brooks and have long thought there should be a Christian school in the Belfast area. Stutheit said his children attend religious schools in Bangor.

“It would be nice to have something for that community that is close,” he said.

Stutheit said Calvary Chapel wanted to acquire the site peacefully and without stirring controversy, which is why it has avoided making public statements about the sale. He added that he would back the church if it decides to continue pursuing the site.

“All we can say is it’s all in God’s hands. If he wants it to happen, it will happen,” Stutheit said. “We’re just going to have to wait and see.”