CEI Housing, a division of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) purchased the 27-unit complex off Federal Street in Wiscasset in January, according to housing developer John Egan.

"We bought the property to make sure it would continue as affordable housing," Egan said this week.

Referring to the lack of affordable housing in Maine, Egan said CEI Housing is "trying to preserve units as they are now. That's our mission," he said.

The complete mission statement of the Wiscasset-based nonprofit devel- opment corporation, which has just celebrated its twenty-fifth annivers- ary, is "to help Maine people and communities, particularly those with low incomes, reach an adequate and equitable standard of living, learning, and working in harmony with our natural environment."

Egan said the Deer Ridge property was owned by an entity called Wiscasset Elderly Housing, described by Egan as an affiliate of Joe Wishcamper's holdings. Wishcamper built the complex in 1981.

Although the original project was supported by federal money, and continues to be subsidized, Egan said CEI Housing purchased it to keep it as affordable housing. After a certain period of time, Egan said the complex could have been purchased by a private developer.

Money to purchase the property came from the Genesis Community Loan Fund in Damariscotta and a 20-year loan from Bath Savings, Egan said. He declined to reveal the selling price.

Deer Ridge will continue to be managed by Preservation Manage- ment, formerly called Woodcock Management, until this summer, when CEI will take over the management, Egan said.

CEI Housing has a total of 200 housing units, including complexes it either owns or manages or both. These include Ward Brook in Wis- casset, Kings Arms in Bath, Meadowbrook in Waldoboro, andseveral complexes in Lewiston, where the CEI Housing office is located.

CEI also owns 14 single family affordable homes in Damariscotta, and housing units in Rockland, Scarborough and Portland which are designed for supportive or special needs clients, such as victims of domestic violence.