University of Maine at Farmington has announced plans to sell several properties in 2025, including this one at 147 Farmington Falls Road in Farmington. Rebecca Richard/Franklin Journal

FARMINGTON — The University of Maine System board of trustees plan to address selling University of Maine at Farmington properties at its Sept. 15 meeting in Farmington.

Samantha Warren, director of external affairs for UMS, highlighted proposals to sell several UMF properties as part of a strategic plan to enhance financial sustainability and operational efficiency.

The properties slated for sale include a building and land at 147 Farmington Falls Road, two undeveloped properties at 289 Middle St. and Johnson Heights/Granite Heights, and one underutilized residential building yet to be determined. These sales are likely to occur in 2025.

The UMS board of trustees’ Finance, Facilities and Technology Committee approved motions June 26 to authorize the sale of these properties. The approved sales are expected to yield significant financial benefits, including operational savings and funds designated for constructing a new 6,500-square-foot facilities management building on campus. The new building is anticipated to cost up to $600,000, resulting in a net reduction of 11,000 square feet of built space, and saving UMF at least $35,000 annually in operating costs.

University of Maine at Farmington plans to sell several properties in 2025, including this one at 147 Farmington Falls Road in Farmington. Rebecca Richard/Franklin Journal

“Consistent with that, if authorized, the transfer of these properties will result in new revenue and cost savings necessary for our system to maintain affordability for our students, create new opportunities for local communities and importantly, to invest our limited resources in the infrastructure essential to recruiting and retaining students and delivering on our mission for Maine,” Warren added.

“In some cases, these transfers will return valuable property to local tax rolls, generating needed revenue for Maine municipalities,” Warren said. “In other cases, these buildings and land are being repurposed in ways that meet needs in the community, such as the system’s earlier sale of undeveloped land in Bangor for the construction of 50 units of affordable senior housing.”

The FFT Committee’s June meeting addressed other projects, including the sale of the Frederick Hutchinson Center in Belfast and several UMaine capital projects focused on workforce development and research in sustainable aquaculture and food innovation. These changes aim to make better use of physical space due to shifts in demographics and how education is delivered, with over one-third of the system’s credit hours now earned online.

According to a blog post on maine.edu, the system attempted to increase the Belfast center’s usage by expanding promotions and offering more academic courses and conference bookings. However, despite these efforts, the university decided to close the facility and issue a competitive request for purchase, lease, or creative alternative proposals only after it became clear that continuing to operate the center was not financially viable.