The Hoffses House. The building is located on a nine-acre parcel of land abutting the 40-acre Sylvania site at 467 Friendship Road. (Johnathan Riley photo)
The town of Waldoboro may put the Hoffses house on the market, after residents voted to allow the sale during a special town meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
Article 2, which would allow for the sale of the house to the most bona fide offer to relocate or dismantle the structure, passed after a quick vote. The sale does not include the land.
Residents also approved Article 3, which would permit the town, in the event the Hoffses House is not sold, to demolish the two-story building.
The sale and relocation, or demolition, includes the main foundation on the nine-acre parcel of land, according to select board member Bob Butler.
The two story structure known as the Hoffses House, along with the rest of the Sylvania property, was donated to the town in 2021 by Ledvance LLC, the most recent owners.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has covenants placed on both properties due to a groundwater contamination plume, which the DEP has said is stable and treated. According to a subcommittee of the Sylvania Redevelopment Committee, the home itself is structurally sound and could be saved.
The covenant, which both the 40-acre site and adjacent nine-acre parcel have, doesn’t allow for residential use of the home.
The select board will seek a buyer who is interested in the purchase and relocation of the structure.
In other news, Waldoboro Select Board member Will Pratt reminded residents of Waldoboro if they have a problem they’d like to see resolved by the town, posting in Facebook groups “is not the most effective method” for resolution.
“That’s not how you lodge a comment. If you see something call the town office,” Pratt said.
The Waldoboro Select Board’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24 in the town office and online.
Waldoboro residents vote in favor of permitting the town to sell the Hoffses House during a special town meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 12. (Johnathan Riley photo)
