Town of Sharon Sacred Heart Reuse Committee

Meeting Minutes of 11/10/10

Approved on 12/14/10

Sharon Community Center

 

Committee Attendees

John Davis. Chair

Jim Michaels - absent

Valeda Britton

 

Ed Keenan

 

 

Other Attendees

Anne Bingham 78 A Cedar Street

Gillia Robbins 91 Lakeview Street

Melissa Goldstein 10 Brook Road

B. Satyamurti 420 E Foxboro Street

Mark Bailen 74 Billings Street

Michael Delman 44 Harold Street

E, A and J Fistel 132 Ames Street

D and M Glass 20 Suffolk Road

Joshua Levin 10 Paul Revere Road

C, W, A, S  Massefski 32 Dehart Ave

Holly Grace B’nai Brith Housing

Hyman and Evelyn Stramer 5 Robin Road

Samuel Seyel 10 Goddard Road

Shari Glass 20 Suffolk Road

Eli Hauser 58 Ames Street

Iris, Marc and Jacob  Blitstein 15 Ashcroft

David Katz 71 Glendale

Vin Morruzano North Easton

James and Shari Thomas North Easton

Paul Davidson 70 Glendale

Jonathan Marcus 6 Robin Road

Alane Schrieber 53 Ashcroft Road

Ian Schechter 94 Brook Road

Karen Friedman 1 Lee Road

Aran Grossman 79 Brook Road

Wendy Dagle 55 Lyndon Road

Dan Rosen Cornerstone Inc.

 

 

Chair Report

Chair Davis called the Sacred Heart Reuse Committee meeting to order at 7:40 PM.

 

Meeting Minutes

Approval of the 10/27 meeting minutes as well as prior meeting minutes was postponed until the next meeting on 11/30/10.

 

Discussion

Chair Davis said that a Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued and responses were received from both Cornerstone and B’nai Brith. He said that on October 27th, the last meeting held by the Sacred Heart Reuse Committee, the Committee reviewed the submissions and determined they were not complete.

 

Chair Davis thanked the large audience for attending the meeting and said that the Committee does not make the final decision but that it is made by the Selectmen.  They are looking to find a use for the property that meets the community’s needs and the Town embraces. In trying to identify the community needs, they have met with people inside and outside of the community to determine how the Town could best use the property and with this information the RFP was drafted. He said they received a response from Cornerstone but were disappointed that they did not receive more submissions. As they started to compare the RFP criteria to the Cornerstone submittal there is a lot of missing information. The information requested included financial information, a vision, what the applicant hoped to do and how it would fit in the community. At the last meeting they reviewed various conditions and made no conclusions. What are of concern to the Committee are parking, finances and background information. They envisioned comparing the submission to the RFP, gaining the community input on the submissions and then going back to the applicant with more questions. Mr. Davis said he appreciated the interest tonight and in light of the interest, Chair Davis said he would like to hear from the audience.

 

Mr. Keenan said the Committee wants to be able to match the RFP matrix to the proposal and then pose questions to the applicant. Ms. Britton agreed that this is the process the Committee wants to follow.

 

Chair Davis said he wants to send the best recommendation possible to the Selectmen.

 

Cornerstone

Mr. Dan Rosen, of Cornerstone thanked the Committee for the opportunity to speak and for the efforts to improve the site. Getting to this point was a long time coming he said. On 12/26/74 the Sacred Heart School was deeded to the Town and the site had been abandoned and neglected ever since. In 2/08, the Selectmen established the Sacred Heart Reuse Committee. Cornerstone Inc. is a nonprofit organization coming from overlapping Sharon constituencies. Their proposal is to establish an interfaith adult special needs facility and Town pool. The cost to Sharon he said will be zero. Given approval, Cornerstone will initiate a financial campaign. Mr. Rosen said he wants to put the first shovel in the ground in 12 months. They are not developers or builders; they are parents, teachers, and architects all with special needs children. Mr. Rosen provided a personal reflection for wanting this facility and said these special need adults are human souls with limitless potential.  He said the plans are lacking, because Cornerstone has never built a place like this. $1,000 is all the funds they currently have. The technical challenges are nothing compared to the tasks of placing souls in their care. He said they will care for these children no matter what they lack. He is humbled and determined and willing to answer any questions.

 

Anne Bingham of 78A Cedar Street said she looks at the property every day. She thinks the parcel has a lot to offer. She hears Mr. Rosen’s message and believes it is possible. Her initial concern is that it is spread out to close to the pond, to close to natural resources. She is concerned with groundwater flow but has no problem with the vision. She is concerned with the treatment of the waste water.

 

Mr. Satyamurti of 420 E. Foxboro Street said he has an autistic child. His biggest challenge is to ensure the best possible education for his child. He said 5/10,000 children have autism and this diagnosis is increasing. He said these children need a place to live when they reach adulthood.

 

Chair Davis said he can tell that a lot of work has gone into the proposal. He appreciated everyone’s sincerity; it is genuine and shows personal interests.  He said the Committee will give each proposal a fair and unbiased look. He said he has to solicit the interests of the entire community. If you want to use public land, you have to look at all angles like environmental, traffic and the financial aspect as well.

 

Joshua Levin of 10 Paul Revere Road commented that he also has a son with autism and would like to see the facility built. A lot of people have the need for this and suggested Sharon could do something good that can change the lives for a lot of people. Mr. Levin asked if there is a gap in the proposal what do you think is needed and can be done at this stage?

 

Chair Davis said that he hopes to give the opportunity to strengthen what has been submitted. He would allow Cornerstone to have the opportunity to supplement additional materials.

 

Mr. Dan Rosen said they are very flexible and focused on this property because it is a beautiful site. He wants to be able to build a site that is green and can survive for generations.

 

Amy Fistel of 132 Ames Street said that there have been multiple plans for Sacred Heart but nothing ever comes of the plans. This is necessary for people of Sharon. She encouraged the Committee to say yes so an empty building does not sit for an additional 30 years.

 

Karen Friedman of 1 Lee Road said that she wants to work towards this not being an institutional setting.

 

Mr. Rosen commented that he envisions it as an integrated community and everyone shares the goals.

 

Chair Davis said the Committee is not made of experts. To evaluate the long term viability of the project, experts in the field would have to lend their professional outlook to see if this project is realistic. He commented that we are talking about a long term lessor/lease relationship. In a future meeting he said, it is important to hear from experts. He asked if this type of setting being proposed is the wave of the future or is integration versus smaller homes the only option now.

 

Mr. Rosen said he is concerned because this place is bucking the trend and will it gain support. He will bring in experts. Community based housing is a rare thing. The trend has been towards individual homes with 6 residents, away from warehousing individuals. They want to be more community based. He thinks this is the wave of the future that families will demand. He said there are few places like this now but mentioned the Higashi School and the New England Village in Pembroke.

 

Wendy Daigle of 55 Linden Road said she has an autistic son and it is always a fight to support his needs. She wants adult children to have a little independence and suggested the Committee look at the New England Village website for reference.

 

Sherry Thomas of Easton said she has a daughter in an adult group home and it is isolating. It is an effort to take them into the community. She thinks there is a constant change in staff. She thinks it is a wonderful idea to give these kids a bigger environment with more things to do and supports the idea.

 

Eli Hauser, a member if the Planning Board and Economic Development Committee said that Mr. Rosen approached him to help understand the land and water use in Sharon. Mr. Hauser provided advice. Being that he is a member of other Boards, Mr. Hauser does not want there to be any conflict of interest so he will not be presenting on behalf of Cornerstone. He can speak as an individual citizen and will step down from the Economic Development Committee because both Boards are appointed by the Board of Selectmen. He will remain on the Planning Board as it is an elected position. Chair Davis referenced a letter from Attorney Gelerman dated October 8, 2010 regarding non profit board member and conflict of interest opinions.  Mr. Hauser continued by saying he is an expert on 40 B housing and how it will play out and he’s representing himself as a citizen of the town.

 

Ms. Bingham commented that she looked at the language in Article 14 from May, 2010 regarding the 6 acre parcel and says that the word residential was not mentioned as a use for this parcel and this could become an issue.

 

Mr. Rosen said that this property pushes the envelope. If the town wants to move forward, Cornerstone needs to do a lot of work and review the legal aspects. With reference to the pool he said that the pool and broader recreational uses of the site are integral parts. Only Sharon has a strong faith community, and the pool is the source of how everyone can integrate as part of the community. The technical focus has been on the housing component. This can become the jewel in the crown of Sharon.

 

Ms. Bingham mentioned the Haley and Aldridge report prepared in 1987. In summary she says if it uses conventional treatment the nitrate level might go up. This is a limitation if the property.

 

Mr. Rosen said he feels they will have to build a waste water sewage treatment plant to support the Cornerstone ideas.

 

Chair Davis said the Haley and Aldridge report is old. He thinks the technology has changed. He would like to review the report. He also commented he did not think a sewage treatment plant was involved.

 

Mr. Rosen said that informally if there are two pools, the property is on the edge of the wetlands, there are 64 homes and a treatment facility might be needed.

 

Holly Grace of B’nai Brith stated that she was present in the room and representing B’nai Brith and the letter they had sent regarding their intent. Chair Davis stated that the Committee has not formulated any questions for her as of yet.

 

Chair Davis said he is concerned with Cornerstone’s financial piece. The Town does not want to enter into a relationship without financial viability. He asked to be given a more optimistic description in the proposal. For example he said you need $5 million dollars to construct and for annual operations. The cost of the pool can be high with chemicals, traffic, and cleanliness. He asked for a better sense of how Cornerstone proposes to raise the money needed.

 

Mr. Rosen said that in broad terms he imagines three stages. The first is to put the skill sets together to run the facility. Pools are a loss leader financially and would like to fit a gym in. Up to now it has been very broad brush. Phase 2 is to get Town support for the concept. Phase 3 is to raise funding.  And they are applying for federal and state funding. There are operation costs for the pool as well as the operating costs for the residential and educational component. They would have to raise an endowment over time like the New England village which serves as a model. 80 -90 folks live there with a 20 million dollar endowment. He hopes the Board of Selectmen will say yes. This is not an outside group he says. The commitment is for generations.

 

Chair Davis said the situation is a little like the chicken and the egg. They are looking first for the comfort level through an okay from the Town but the Town needs assurance this can be built. Together he said we need to come to an agreement.

 

Mr. Rosen said this is a great idea and we need to think outside of the box. David Katz of Glendale Road said this idea is a good use of space. He suggests letting Cornerstone try to fundraise and that nothing is lost by the Town saying okay.

 

Chair Davis said this property started as an eyesore 26 years ago and that’s why he is on the Committee, to find a solution. The Committee will test whatever comes before them. We will poke and prod. Wilber School took three RFP’s to find a solution. The Committee needs to test the RFP submission to see if it is a complete application. If at the end of the day the Committee does not feel comfortable with the proposal it will not automatically happen because it is the only one.  He questioned what would happen to the project if federal and state financing is cut?

 

Mr. Rosen said he is no expert in the matter and there are no guarantees. To cover lean years you need to build a plan with as many layers of protection as you can. If integrated into the community maybe volunteers would be needed. Millions of dollars in an endowment will not be raised overnight. He hopes to do this within 15 years. He hopes that with the integration into the Town and the ability to fund raise and the growing awareness of folks with special needs he hopes to bring in what is needed.

 

Chair Davis said that part of the RFP asks for expertise and experience.

 

Mr. Rosen said that Cornerstone has no experience but has people behind it. That is why they brought in the YMCA for pool experience and the Higashi and New England Village schools for advising help. It is a start up being put together by experienced people.

 

Chair Davis said you assembled a group that brings a lot to the table and will be invaluable going forward. The Committee would like to obtain more information on a 12 month and 36 month plan. What would be next? What is the timetable?

 

Mr. Rosen said they will put together an outline of the financial plan and present a more concrete document.

 

Chair Davis asked for an update on the rest of the facility including the pool. Vin Morruzano of the YMCA who agreed to run the pool said he will put together finances for the pool for both direct and indirect pool costs.

 

Next meeting dates

11/30

 

Adjournment

Mr. Keenan moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:18 PM. Ms. Britton seconded the motion and the Committee voted 3-0-0 in favor.

 

 

 

 

Attached Documents

1. Haley and Aldrich Engineers, April 30, 1987 Ground Water Impact Assessment, Proposed on-site Septic System for former Sacred Heart School Property.

2. Sacred Heart property map.

3. Attorney Gelerman letter dated October 8, 2010 regarding Non Profit Board Member and Conflict of Interest Opinions.