Offer made to lease/buy Farmington Methodist building

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Nov 02, 20160

The use of Farmington’s old Methodist church is up for discussion as town representatives consider an offer from Cody Lord, Farmington’s treasurer.

Lord, a resident of Garfield, has made an offer to lease the church until 2024, at which time he would buy it for $35,000 – twice its current assessed value.

The Farmington Town Council heard Lord’s proposal Oct. 17.

His plan would be to spend a year repairing the building and then offer it as an event rental space, at least through the length of the lease.

“My intention is not to block anybody from doing something else, but to provide something for the people of Farmington to use,” Lord said.

Lord, who also works as town clerk for Garfield, first saw the inside of the Farmington’s Methodist church earlier this year when he went over with public works employee George Martzall to check on the sump pump.

The town was given the downtown building in 2009, in an agreement which stated they would not sell it for 15 years. They are allowed to lease it or rent it.

For the past seven years, the white church has stood empty, in the heart of town, just up from the community center/town hall/library.

Because remaining church members wanted to avoid the building becoming an eyesore, they stipulated that it could not be sold until 2024.

In dissolving the Farmington Methodist Church, the organization gave the town a donation of $10,000 which was used to paint the community center.

Former mayor Ron Dugan brought the church’s old pulpit over to the town council chambers to be used for speakers.

The council plans to revisit subject at its next meeting, Nov. 21.