The Holman Mission House at 227 Main St. in Farmington is being sought by the Regional School Unit 9 administration for district operations. The purchase is set to be finalized by the end of November using $550,000 of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds, if voters approve Nov. 7. Franklin Journal File Photo
REGION — On Tuesday, Nov. 7, 10 towns will vote on a referendum for the lease-purchase agreement between Regional School Unit 9 and the owners of the Holman Mission House, located in Farmington at 227 Main Street. The vote is to determine if the agreement will be for purchase of the property or lease for district purposes.
The ten towns, with their voting hours and locations, are as follows.
• CHESTERVILLE: Chesterville Town Office [409 Dutch Gap Road]
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• FARMINGTON: Farmington Community Center [127 Middle Street]
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• INDUSTRY: Industry Town Hall [1033 Industry Road]
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• NEW SHARON: New Sharon Town Office [11 School Lane]
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• NEW VINEYARD: New Vineyard Town Office, Community Room [20 Lake Street]
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• STARKS: Starks Community Center [57 Anson Rd]
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• TEMPLE: Temple Town Office [258 Temple Road]
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• VIENNA: Vienna Fire Station [16 Kimball Pond]
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• WELD: Weld Town Office [23 Mill Street]
10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• WILTON: Wilton Town Office [158 Weld Road]
8 a.m. to 8 a.m.
The board voted unanimously Tuesday, Sept. 26, to move forward with the agreement, using $550,000 in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief [ESSER] funds, if voters in the 10 district towns approve on Nov. 7. If the vote does not come to pass, RSU 9 will have one more chance to approve the lease-purchase agreement before the ESSER funds would need to be returned to the federal government by September 2024.
If the vote fails a second time, RSU 9 will enter a lease agreement for the property. RSU 9 intends on using the building for district operations as well as storage of records. Currently, the district utilizes space at Mt. Blue High School for its operations, which Superintendent Christian Elkington hopes to free up for student use once the move is final.
Built in 1895, construction of the Holman Mission House began in 1894 when Joseph C. Holman, a successful lawyer who grew up in Dixfield, purchased land on Main Street in Farmington.
Holman, who was a distant relative to former U.S. President William Howard Taft, was considering a campaign for Governor of Maine and sought to build a house to reflect that stature. Holman served as chair of the Governor’s Executive Council and served a term in the Maine Senate. He and his wife Mittie, along with their son Currier C. Holman, and his wife Rosa, and youngest grandson Joseph F. Holman all lived in the home.
All three men, along with their families, were active members of the Old South Church and pursued long tenured careers in law, with all three each at one time in their careers serving as a Franklin County attorney, Maine State senator, and president of the Maine State Bar Association.
After the passing of Rosa Holman in 1992, the house was purchased by The Pierce House Farmington Home for the Aged, before the Old South Church purchased it in 2002. The Old South Church put the house up for sale in April of last year.
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