The Winthrop Town Council has accepted a $160,100 bid from a man who wants to buy the recently vacated fire station at 36 Main St. and develop it.

At its monthly meeting Monday night, the council agreed to the bid from Gerard Fleury.

Fleury was not at the meeting, but his daughter came and told officials that he hopes to convert the building into a space for apartments and storage, according to Sarah Fuller, chairwoman of the Town Council. At a time when local officials are making a push to develop downtown, he also seemed open to renting it out to potential businesses, but was waiting to see what possibilities the building might hold.

“We hope that Mr. Fleury and his family will be a great addition to downtown,” Fuller said. “In addition to apartments, or maybe other retail or business space, more living space is something every downtown can take advantage of.”

A recent call to Fleury was not returned.

In June, the Fire Department left its former station on Main Street and now uses a new one on U.S. Route 202. Before the property can change hands, the town needs to remove a generator, a stove and an old sprinkler system that are still in the station, Fire Chief Dan Brooks said.

Fleury’s bid, $160,100, fell short of the value that the town’s tax assessor assigned to that property, $272,900. However, his offer was greater than the minimum price of $150,000 that the town was seeking for the station, Fuller said. It was the first bid the town received since it first started advertising the property in May.

Charles Eichacker — 621-5642

ceichacker@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @ceichacker

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