FARMINGTON — Selectmen are considering accepting a donation to landscape a lot near the entrance to town that voters recently decided not to sell for commercial use.
The town proposed selling the lot at the corner of High Street and Farmington Falls Road, valued at $53,000. Residents, however, overwhelmingly voted at the annual Town Meeting to keep the property.
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The lot was once the site of the town garage, but has sat empty for more than a decade. Farmington resident Nancy Porter proposed to the selectmen that she use the property to hold a flea market over the summer for the community and pay the town $700. But Town Manager Richard Davis said Porter has since rescinded the proposal.
Davis said Farmington resident Richard Bjorn offered to donate for the property to be professionally landscaped.
“I think the general concept is to develop it into something that is not unsightly,” Davis said.
Davis also proposed taking down the community events banner poles, which are used to display information on events happening in town. He said it is time consuming for a town administrator to help people display the community announcements and said there were other alternatives around town.
He said the proposal for landscaping could create an attractive entrance to the downtown. While there are no firm plans for the proposed project, he said one possibility would be to have decorative lights in the park.
Selectman Andrew Buckland said he had concerns on how people would safely enter and exit the property, because drivers are known to speed on the Farmington Falls Road, which lines one of the sides.
Chairman Ryan Morgan said the selectmen will consider the proposal before going forward and revisit it at a later meeting. He said residents with suggestions should contact their selectmen or the Town Office.
Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252 | kschroeder@centralmaine.com
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