Rangeley board opens hearing on purchase of 0.35-acre parcel, signs warrant for Nov. 4 special town meeting

The Rangeley Board of Selectmen opened a public hearing at about 5 p.m. to consider acquiring a 0.35-acre parcel identified as tax map 36, lot 27 and moved to sign a warrant for a special town meeting on Nov. 4, 2025 to seek voter approval for the purchase. Joe, a town official who presented the proposal, said the purchase-and-sale agreement lists a purchase price of $99,500 and is contingent on town meeting approval.

Joe told the board the agreement includes a due-diligence period that runs to Nov. 30 and that the town will pursue an appraisal, an environmental assessment and an estimate for demolition during that period. “The purchase price is $99,500,” Joe said when summarizing the offer and added that he had reached out to a firm that has helped the town with environmental reviews in the past.

Board members and residents pressed for specific information about costs and impacts. One selectman asked whether the town has an appraisal and an environmental assessment; another asked whether demolition labor and disposal costs had been estimated. Joe said public works could provide demolition labor but that hauling and disposal would still be a cost. He also said that, to his knowledge, DEP investigated a previously reported tank incident and “found no issues” requiring remediation; he offered to assemble the relevant files for the board to review.

Questions included how the acquisition would fit into the town’s capital improvement plan and the estimated tax revenue loss if the town removed the parcel from the tax rolls. Joe told the board he had checked the figures: the annual property tax loss would be about $1,000, and the current assessed value translates to roughly $85,000 at the state’s assessment ratio.

Several residents voiced neighborhood concerns, including minimizing light pollution and preserving the barn on the property if feasible. Board members also discussed potential municipal uses such as a small annex, parking or a pocket park and noted that zoning for the parcel appears to permit several uses but that staff would return with precise zoning details at the next hearing.

After closing the public hearing at 5:23 p.m., the board read the warrant article that would appear on the Nov. 4 special town meeting ballot: authorize the appropriation of a one-time payment from fund balance to purchase the parcel (approximately 0.35 acres) for the stated price. A motion to sign the warrant was made by Jim and seconded by Sam; the board approved the motion.

Members discussed clarifying language about the funding source. One member moved to amend Article 2 of the warrant to specify the appropriation would come from the “unassigned fund balance” rather than generically “fund balance”; that amendment was motioned and seconded and incorporated into the warrant. The board then scheduled a second public hearing for Oct. 20 to return with updated due-diligence results before the town meeting.

The next regular selectmen’s meeting was noted as Oct. 6. The town will present appraisal and environmental-assessment materials and more detailed zoning guidance at the follow-up hearing; the sale remains subject to town-meeting approval and the contract’s due-diligence timeline.