City officials are preparing to accept proposals for the sale and renovation of the former Second Street Fire Station in downtown Hallowell. Councilors are expected Tuesday night to discuss the building’s future, which has been uncertain for years. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file

HALLOWELL — City officials could soon accept proposals for the sale and renovation of the former Second Street Fire Station in downtown Hallowell, leading to a potential decision as early as April.

The future of the old fire station has been uncertain for years. Officials have made attempts to keep the building under city ownership, and Hallowell residents widely supported a nonbinding referendum to renovate the building.

An initial discussion on what city officials expect to be included in proposals is scheduled for Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. City Manager Gary Lamb, Ward 2 Councilor and Property Committee Chairperson Michael Frett and Mayor George Lapointe edited the request for proposals, or RFP, which was based on the city’s last attempt to secure proposals for the sale and renovation of the building in 2020.

During that last round of proposals, only one bid came in: $10,500, from Eric Perry, the owner of E.J. Perry Construction Co. Inc., and his wife, Pamela. The city had appraised the building at $300,000 the year before, but Eric Perry said his bid was based on the estimated cost to renovate the building.

The City Council voted to solicit proposals again in July, when Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Wynne championed adding $250,000 to this year’s budget for the building’s sale.

Any money gained from the sale of the building would go into a capital improvements expense item in this year’s budget, according to Wynne’s proposal, helping to bolster municipal revenue in a tight budget year.

The request for proposals asks potential developers to preserve the exterior of the building to state historic building standards, and stipulates the city would prefer proposals from developers who have worked on historic preservation projects before.

The RFP also includes a preference for preserving the basement as the Hallowell Food Bank location and adding a museum in the upper floors, which would showcase the building’s 200-year history and memorabilia from the Fire Department’s years at the building, from 1900 to 2018.

Regardless, Lamb said, the building will need substantial interior work before it is usable by the general public.

“If the building is going to be reused, it has to be gutted down to the studs,” he said. “You need all new windows, all new electric, plumbing and everything.”

At a City Council meeting in July, Lapointe said work on the building could cost up to $5 million, which Hallowell cannot afford, especially in a challenging budget year.

In light of the renovation cost, Lapointe said financial stability is an important factor for the City Council to consider with proposals for the building. He said Tuesday’s discussion is a starting point for public input on the building’s future.

A final decision is not expected for several months, with a final vote on potential proposals planned for April 2025.

“People love the old fire station, and some people think we should hold onto it at any cost,” Lapointe said. “And so that’s when I say: ‘We need to socialize the issue. We’ve got to talk our way through it.'”