ROCHESTER — The First Congregational Church of Rochester may not sell the town two acres of its land to pay for repairs after all. 

The Chairman of the church’s Board of Trustees, Richard Cutler said that Town Counsel Blair Bailey approached the church and offered $150,000 for two acres adjacent to Town Hall, an amount that Cutler said was “not enough.”

The property was appraised at $160,000, enough to cover the $150,000 of repairs to its ceiling and vestry bell tower. Town Meeting also appropriated up to $160,000 to purchase the land. 

The church met Aug. 12 and decided to carve off another lot from the church’s 17 acres of land around 800 or 900 feet up Rounseville Road from the plot near Town Hall. 

For now, the church is willing to negotiate with potential buyers on the size of the lot. However, Cutler did describe it in passing as a “house lot.”  

He and other church officials are “a little puzzled” at the Selectmen’s decision, since it was the board that approached church officials when it heard they were considering the land sale to ask if the church would part with a lot closer to Town Hall.

Church leaders agreed, and even designed the lot to the Selectmen’s specifications. 

Cutler said that the church’s offer to the Selectmen still stands, if they want to consider the appraised price. 

Selectmen declined to comment on the matter because they had only met in executive session to discuss it and had not yet discussed the matter publicly.