MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • May 14, 2023
When Walter Butler bought a run-down industrial building and 50 acres in Standish a decade ago, he thought some of the land would be perfect for soccer fields. Town leaders at the time persuaded him to donate 22 acres, enough land to build a six-field complex. Nine years later, the town manager, recreation director and Town Council have all changed, developing the field complex never moved beyond initial plans, and the memory of the donation faded. The fields are not built and the town is auctioning off the property. Town officials say the sale is legal because the deed does not contain any covenants that limit the town’s use of the property for recreational purposes. Butler, who is now on the town council, is asking a court to stop the sale.