The building that formerly housed a drugstore at 2 Old Point Ave. in Madison, shown April 22. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel file

MADISON — The town will not buy the former Taylor’s Drug Store on Old Point Avenue, at least for now.

The Madison Select Board decided Monday against putting the purchase on a special town meeting warrant. The building had previously been considered for use as a methadone clinic, but officials say those plans have fallen through.

Town officials had been considering acquiring the property at 2 Old Point Ave. and had signed a purchase and sale agreement to buy it for $595,000, contingent on approval by Madison residents at a town meeting.

The Select Board’s unanimous vote Monday to not put the acquisition on an Oct. 22 special town meeting warrant means the agreement is effectively void, Town Manager Denise Ducharme said.

The board made its decision after hearing from members of a crowd of about 50 residents who attended a half-hour public hearing Monday at the Old Point Avenue School meeting room. Many people who commented, and some selectmen, said they were concerned the town had not fully considered the plan to buy the property.

“We moved too fast to get to this point,” said Albert Veneziano, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. “And we need to slow it down a little bit and do a little bit of planning.”

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The potential purchase came as town officials have responded for months to concerns about a planned treatment center operated by Tennessee-based Acadia Healthcare at the site, which would have offered a variety of behavioral health treatments and services.

The treatments and services were planned to include medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder using methadone and Suboxone — the latter a combination medication containing buprenorphine and naloxone — according to an Acadia representative who spoke at a meeting earlier this year.

Acadia, which was under contract to buy 2 Old Point Ave., has since changed plans and is considering another site, according to Ducharme. After voters approved a moratorium on such facilities in June, Madison could soon enact an ordinance restricting the locations of such treatment centers, and that location would not comply with the proposed ordinance.

“Last April, you were heard when you said you did not want that building sold to a methadone clinic,” Ducharme said at Monday’s meeting. “That was made loud and clear. Many of you came up to me … and said, ‘Why doesn’t the town just buy it?’”

Veneziano said there are no lawsuits against the town regarding the property that might have prompted the potential acquisition. Town officials also do not anticipate lawsuits, he said.

The purchase price of $595,000 was the owner’s asking price, Ducharme said. According to 2024 town tax records, the property is owned by Larry R. Caldwell, who has a Winslow address listed.

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The town had no set plans to acquire the property, Ducharme said.

One leading possibility was to relocate the Town Office at 26 Weston Ave., according to Ducharme. The building at 2 Old Point Ave. could provide more space, with a total of about 3,200 square feet, she said.

“We are busting out of the seams at the current Town Office,” Ducharme said. “The Town Office is 70 years old. The electrical system is not capable of being increased in terms of capacity.”

The five Select Board members initially appeared to be split on the proposed purchase when discussing the matter, before members of the public spoke.

Selectwoman Kathy Estes agreed with Veneziano that the property could be an option for the town in the future, but not with the information now available. “I think that we should study it more,” she said.

On the other side of issue, Selectwoman Sally Dwyer said the 2 Old Point Ave. building is centrally located and buying it would prevent a future acquisition by an owner that town residents do not want, such as Acadia.

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“Our buildings are in rough shape,” Dwyer said.

Selectman Ron Moody said he was confused that the board had voted to sign the purchase and sale agreement, only to back out later.

“It looks like we’re putting him in turmoil again,” Moody said of the property’s owner.

Like Dwyer, Moody and Selectman Shawn Bean said they saw the need for the building for office space or other town uses. Before deciding on the matter, Moody and Bean both said they wanted to hear feedback from those who filled the meeting room.

Residents who spoke during the public hearing largely said they needed to know more about the town’s plans. Questions included the cost to renovate the existing Town Office, the cost to renovate 2 Old Point Ave. into a Town Office and the impact to the town’s revenue of taking the property off the tax rolls.

Others suggested considering different uses for the property, including a bus station or fire station. Ducharme also floated the idea of a community center.

There are no financial implications to Monday’s decision, according to town officials. By voting against putting the purchase on the town meeting warrant, the town is not obligated to pay a $10,000 down payment, per the terms of the agreement that required residents’ approval.

Veneziano said town officials plan to work to develop a plan for its buildings. A study of town-owned facilities is underway, he said, and could inform future decisions.

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