by Geoff Fox
The sale of 77 West Main Street, the former Weaver’s Restaurant, has fallen through and the property is back on the market.
Hancock Town Manager Mike Faith told council members that the buyer had been in the building for about an hour and had been shown the property.
“I think he just had a change of heart,” Faith said.
Town officials had put out a request for purchase this past April and in May opened the lone bid of $45,000 from Steve Younker.
Faith said it was a few weeks after the approval to accept the bid and paperwork when Younker withdrew his offer. It also took some time for Younker to return a signed contract to Faith.
A new investor has recently looked at the property and is interested in making the purchase.
Local realtor Eric Exline has been working with the investor.
Faith said since the town had already put the property out to bid and all the work surrounding that, the town can negotiate with any qualified buyer now, per the town’s attorney.
Since the property has already been put out to bid three times, the third being the Younker deal, Faith said at this point it’s public knowledge the building is for sale.
“Any qualified person can come in here, make an offer on the building, we’ll consider it,” Faith said. “We don’t have to go through the RFP process again.”
Faith said there are people interested in purchasing the building and the town really wants to see someone repair and restore the building and possibly get a business in the first floor and apartments on the second.
