Farmington, ME
The Farmington Diner, looking cheerless and solitary, stands shuttered on a construction site on Main Street as heavy equipment excavates around it to make way for a new Rite Aid drug store.

The attached trailer at the rear of the diner is now gone, as are the addition and outbuildings. The former C.N. Brown Co. gas station and Quizno's Subs on the property have also been flattened.

Bruce Carrier, the developer for the new drug store, loathe to demolish what is considered a Farmington landmark, said this week he gave the diner's owner, Russell Wood, 30 days after the sale of the property to move the former eatery. That deadline is Feb. 3 and there are still no firm offers.

"We would love to see it moved right now but we realize the diner is an important piece of Farmington," Carrier said.

"I don't want to demolish it and I would be willing to work with anyone interested in taking it. And I would be willing to wait if it means we can find that special person who wants it," he said.

There are a few interested parties in the wings, including the diner's former owner, Mike Grimanis, and his wife, Rose, who are considering relocating it temporarily to their Prescott Street property a block away, said Wood, a contractor in Florida.

According to Wood, a woman from out of town is also interested in buying it but she is still looking for a place to put it.

Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser said there may be another deal in the works but no one has submitted a site review application to the Planning Board. Board approval would be required if the new property is in a commercial or floodplain zone, but there would be some leeway if the move was only temporary or the person needed more time to get the final deal in order.

"It would not be a violation to keep it someplace for a short time without a permit. But if it is for any length of time, they would have to come in," he said.

Carrier's company is putting up a 14,673-square-foot pharmacy that is expected to be completed next spring. Rite Aid has a store in West Farmington that will be closed when the larger store opens.

Originally published online here: http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/4691295.html