AUBURN — Councilors will consider tripling rents at the former Great Falls School later this month in an effort to make the building pay for itself.
Councilor Mike Farrell and councilors were considering raising the rents at Tuesday’s meeting, part of a special item that had been added to the agenda Monday night.
But Councilor Eric Samson suggested councilors give tenants and city staff some time to figure out how they’d handle those rents. Councilors agreed 4-2 to table the matter, with Farrell and Councilor Dan Herrick voting to continue discussion and Councilor Ray Berube abstaining.
Farrell said he was frustrated and that councilors need to stop delaying a decision on the downtown arts center.
“We can’t just continue sinking taxpayer dollars into that building, year after year,” Farrell said.
The city has owned the Great Falls School land since 1874 and used it as a school until the mid-1990s. The building is home to the Community Little Theatre, the Edward Little High School Drama Club and several other arts and education groups.
City Manager Glenn Aho put the matter before councilors on a workshop agenda, asking that councilors help steer him and the rest of city staff. The city had four options, he said; it could try to sell the building, demolish it completely, close off part of it or work with Community Little Theatre to get it to take over the building.
Tracey Steuber, Auburn’s community and business specialist, said the city currently rents out about 13,000 square feet in the building, and receives about $16,663 per year.
But Farrell said the city spent about $250,000 over the last four years to keep the building up.
“This year ended spring cleanup to save money on the budget, and then turned off street lights,” he said. “We’re going to come back again and look at making cuts and cuts. Well, it looks to me like this is sitting right in front of us.”
Farrell said the issue has been left unsettled by the city for too long.
“I’ve talked to councilors on both sides of the river, and they told me that there would just never be any closure on this,” he said.
Councilor Dan Herrick agreed, comparing the building to Lewiston’s Bates Mill No. 5.
“You remember, Bates Mill 5 has been a burden to the city of Lewiston,” he said. “Well, this is Auburn’s Bates Mill 5.”
Later, during the councilors’ regular meeting, Farrell proposed raising the rents to help make the tenants help pay for the costs.
But one tenant, artist Hilary Eaton, of 393 Center St., said thinks the building is a fair value now.
“It works as a sort of business incubator,” she said. It’s also not worth higher rents, she said. It does not have a working elevator, which means her father, who uses a wheelchair, cannot visit her second floor studio.
“If you raise the rents, I’d just as soon pay for a studio where my father can visit,” she said.
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