Frequently Asked Questions
Doesn't the town own the church?
Not according to the town. After researching "who owns what" the town determined the church should sign everything over to them. This appears to be the cause of the current dispute.
Why did the town of Pownal send the church a "lease"?
In an effort to quickly "fix" the problem the town asked the church to give up everything. this didn't work as the current dispute shows.
Did they vote on this? why do they want the church?
No public vote can be found. The town has not made public what they want to use the church building for. The lease below mentions a kitchen and conference rooms, neither of which the church building has. The lease also describes the town selling the building, so there may be an interested buyer who needed the town to first obtain ownership. Ultimately no one knows yet.
Can a town own a church?
Not really. This has raised many questions from the public about how their tax payer dollars are being spent. The lease breakdown below shows the many sticky legal situations the town may be facing.




