HOULTON – It has been a long road, but the prospects of securing a tenant for the former Houlton International Corp. facility are “very promising,” Town Manager Douglas Hazlett said Tuesday.

A decision on the matter likely could be made in the next few weeks.

“We have three potential proposals on the table,” Hazlett said Tuesday. “Right now, the individuals that the board members of the Shiretown Development Corp. are talking to are sharing the information with us in executive session. We hope that we will be able to have a public session in the next few weeks so that the board can look at picking a tenant.”

It has been approximately four years since Shiretown Development, which functions as an economic development arm for the town, entered into a $161,000 purchase-and-sale agreement with officials from Houlton International. At the time, they planned to use the massive complex garnered through the agreement to attract a larger business to the area.

Several firms have looked at the building but it has failed to attract a larger business. The board has successfully leased out portions of the building.

Hazlett has said that prospective tenants have liked the land but have not been crazy about the building.

Last year, Shiretown Development began to consider putting the building on the market or finding someone interested in demolishing the building for its scrap metal.

Expenses related to maintenance of the complex are draining Shiretown Development’s bank account. It costs the board approximately $10,000 a year just for insurance.

Hazlett said he could not comment at this point on what kinds of jobs or business the prospective tenants might bring to the facility.

“It is not a done deal yet, but we are very hopeful,” he said Tuesday. “The SDC bought this building to create or bring jobs to the community and we are optimistic we can do that.”

jlbdn@ainop.com

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