ROCKPORT  — Camden residents Stuart and Marianne Smith cast the winning bid for the former Farmers Fare property on Route 90 Thursday afternoon, Oct. 18.

The Smiths' bid, $375,000, was not countered by Peoples United Mortgage, of Conn., which held the note on the property. Smith has 45 days to pay the balance.

When asked if the couple had any immediate plans for the property, Stuart Smith deferred to his wife.

"No, it's a well-built building. We hope to do something," said Marianne Smith.

When asked if there was any possibility that the public school system might use the building for any programs, including Zenith, she said: "I did read that. At this point, we'd be open to facilitating the building for other purposes."

Stuart Smith owns 28.52 acres of woods that are adjacent to the property and assessed at $229,900. That property lies between the Mistic Subdivision and Route 90. With the parcel he just acquired, which abutts Cross St., Smith now owns almost 34 acres.

Thursday's auction was to have taken place at 11 a.m., and a number of residents gathered at the Route 90 vacant building to see who would be the highest bidder. But news of a buyer on the approach pushed the official bidding back to 3 p.m.

The future of the empty building has been up in the air for more than a year. The kitchen equipment and other assets were auctioned off in August. All of the coolers had not been cleaned out before the power was shut off, and a freezer full of meat was left to rot, subsequently filling the building with a stench that has yet to move on.

Unpaid property taxes and sewer fees that Smith will incur in the purchase are:

Rockport town taxes (2011): $15,712.51
                                 (2012):  $7,439.56
Water/sewer                           $1,790.31

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SEPT 27 — After unsuccessful closure to weeks of quiet negotiations, the former Farmers Fare property is scheduled again for auction.

"We weren't able to secure a contract with the buyer," said Stefan Keenan, real estate division manager at Keenan Auction Company, on Wednesday, Sept. 26. "The property is going to public foreclosure offer."

That auction is now scheduled for Oct. 18 at 11 a.m., at the building on the corner of Cross Street and Route 90, in Rockport. A preview of the property will take place on Oct. 10 from 10 to 11 a.m.

Farmers Fare, a project that came flying out of the gate in 2009 with high hopes for bringing local agriculture, school children and the community together for local food production, market and educational experience, fell on hard times in 2010. After it shuttered, the real estate, comprising a large new building on five acres of former farmland, sat vacant. Last month, its equipment assets were auctioned off; but in a suprise development, the real estate itself was not, even though it, too, had been scheduled for the auction block.

Talks were under way between the Keenan Auction Company, of South Portland, which was contracted to divest of the property, and a potential buyer of undisclosed identity. Peoples United Bank holds the note on the property, said Keenan, who declined to discuss any more specifics about potential buyers, nor the extent of the bank's interest.

Farmers Fare property, consisting of a 8,784-square-foot building and five acres of land, is assessed at approximately $1.2 million. On the town tax books, it is currently under Sovia LLC ownership. That company was established in 2008 by Camden resident Teri Thompson-Christie. After she closed the business, Thompson-Christie retained Maine Business Brokers to find a new party to buy or lease and operate the business. That failed to happen, and the building went dark.

On Oct. 18, bidders will consider a building that features 16-foot cathedral ceilings, an elevator, office space, exterior decks and covered porch, finished daylight basement, extensive landscaping, paved and lighted parking, a spring-fed water supply, and forced propane gas heat. The property lies within a mixed business and residential zone, with access to public water and sewer.

Keenan Auction is requiring a $25,000 deposit, nonrefundable to the highest bidder, in cash or certified U.S. funds, with the balance due and payable within 45 days from date of public sale.

Editorial director Lynda Clancy can be reached by email, or call 207-706-5567.