BIDDEFORD — Three years ago, a public/private partnership that raised more than $5 million through federal grants and donations from hundreds of private citizens made it possible to preserve one of the most unspoiled areas of southern Maine’s coastline.

Now, Timber Point, a 157-acre parcel in Biddeford, is part of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, and it provides a safe haven for migratory birds and other wildlife.

Included with the purchase were several structures, including the main house of the family that owned the land, the Ewings. The home was built and designed in 1930s by architect Charles Ewing. The structures may be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Properties.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is in charge of the refuge, is now in the process of determining what to do with the buildings and other structures on the property.

Several options were proposed after the property was studied, and public input was sought. Those options are enumerated in an environmental study conducted by the wildlife service that was completed in September.

Some of the options for the structures include demolishing or removing them from the property; keeping them as they are with minimal maintenance; conducting more maintenance that would include some renovations;and putting the buildings to use either as administration buildings, renting them for private functions, or working with another organization to provide opportunities for the public to view and/or use them.

The preferred use by the fish and wildlife service, said Assistant Refuge Manager Karrie Schwaab, is to improve the buildings, but keep them closed. In addition, she said, a new trail would be built that would go around the main house and would include a spectacular coastal view with interpretative signs containing historical information about the house.

The service doesn’t always make a recommendation, she said, but decided they would regarding Timber Point.

The option for improved maintenance, interpretive signs and the trail to the house was recommended, said Schwaab, “because we feel that alternative is a good balance between people and habitat.”

Options that increase public use of the property are not recommended, said Schwaab, because Timber Point has minimal parking and is located on the “small, out-of-the-way” Granite Point Road.

The refuge headquarters in Wells gets up to 100,000 visitors each year, which, at Timber Point, would put a strain on the property, she said. It wouldn’t even be feasible to use the main structure for staff offices, she said, because the staff mushrooms to more than 30 people in the summer.

Tylar Greene, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said that even though the service has made a recommendation, that doesn’t mean that the Northeast National Wildlife Refuge System chief, Scott Kahan, who makes the final decision, would choose it.

Public comment, which will be accepted through the end of the month, and other factors are taken into consideration, she said.

For instance, some have voiced their preference for a different use of the structures: the creation of the Timber Point Center.

According to the timberpointcenter.org website, the group would like to reuse Ewing’s former home to develop a “focused, creative, contemplative environment” for small groups to utilize.

For those who want to learn more about the Timber Point buildings, public meetings are scheduled from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 21 at the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust, 57 Gravely Brook Road in Kennebunkport. The meetings will provide an opportunity for the public to meet service staff, learn about the environmental assessment, and provide verbal and written comments on the assessment.

There will be public open houses for people to tour the buildings, including the interior, on Oct. 7 from 2-6 p.m., and on Oct. 21 from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

In addition, the environmental assessment will be available for public review and comment for 30 days through Oct. 31. The document can be viewed online at: www.fws.gov/refuge/rachel_carson/what_we_do/conservation/TimberPointEA.html. It will also be available at the refuge headquarters and the McArthur Public Library, 207 Main St. in Biddeford.

Comments can be submitted via email to [email protected], on the Facebook page of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, or by writing to the refuge at 321 Port Road, Wells, ME 04090.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or [email protected].