Wilton, ME
The Farmington Diner will be wending its way down U. S. Route 2 from Farmington to Wilton by Monday -- the deadline for the new owner to move if off the lot on Main Street where a new Rite Aid is going up. One of the hurdles new owner Rachel Jackson-Hodsdon had to overcome in this new commercial venture was to get a building permit from the Wilton Planning Board.

The permit was unanimously approved Thursday night with the caveat that if it is to be converted to a restaurant, Hodsdon will need to come back and submit a site review application.

Hodsdon, who has prior restaurant experience but now works with agencies dealing with the homeless in Maine, said she decided to buy the diner at the last minute from the developer, Bruce Carrier of FARMRA, LLC, to preserve a piece of history. And she said she is paying the $15,000 moving cost out of her own pocket.

"Thank heaven for credit cards," she laughed. Construction crews are anxious to get the building off the lot across from Hippach Field because it is in the way of pouring the concrete foundation next week, Carrier said in an earlier interview.

He gave Hodsdon until today to move it, but because of all the ice and snow that still needs to be cleared off, he extended the deadline to Monday, she said.

When Nickerson Building Movers of Kingfield haul off the 16-by-52-foot diner, they will be placing it in temporary storage on land Hodsdon and her husband, Jeffrey, own on 58 Cemetery Road at the corner of U. S. Route 2. Hodsdon said the diner will be put on a flatbed and will remain on wheels for future relocation.

The deal was sealed on Feb. 12 with a ceremonial price of $1, which Carrier declined to accept when the papers were signed, Hodsdon said.

"I've been under the gun. I had to get it off that lot to save it," she told the board. "I have been a nervous wreck."

She also will be looking for ideas on how to fix it up and plans to ask the community for input. One idea is to serve meals made with local food.

"It will be commercial storage of a commercial building," said Code Enforcement Officer Paul Montague. "This permit is essentially putting it in mothballs until she gets her plans together."

The property is in a commercial zone and the lot is large enough to conform to frontage and setback requirements. But Montague said if it becomes a restaurant, he would recommend the entrance be on Cemetery Road side because of the difficult road access.

Originally published online here: http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/4793880.html