Town of Sharon

Sacred Heart Reuse Committee

Meeting Minutes of 8/1/11

Amended and Approved on 9/7/11

Sharon Community Center

 

Committee Attendees

Karen Friedman, Chair  

Jim Michael - absent

Valeda Britton  

Ed Keenan

Larry Seggelin

John Davis  

Carl Gladstone

David Straus  

Michael Ginsberg

 

 

Other Attendees

Alice Cheyer – 1 Glenview

 

 

Chair Report

Chair Friedman called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM.

 

RFP Discussion

Chair Friedman started this evening’s discussion by asking the Committee to review the changes to the matrices as pertains to the RFP that were modified as per last meeting. Mr. Davis asked if any categories had been added or deleted and Chair Friedman replied that the biggest change was to category #2 Use Description of Proposed Use of Property by trying to match it more to the RFP language. Mr. Davis also suggested that the 2011 and 2012 Town Meeting votes should be reflected within the RFP so it is clear to all readers as to what is required by the vote.

 

The Committee continued to review the matrix and determined how it should be tweaked and stated that residential use for the property is not allowed but it could be cultural, recreational or educational use.  It was also stated by Ms. Britton that the matrix language must be consistent with that of the language within the RFP. The Committee continued reviewing all 12 requirements on the matrix and adjusted the text as needed.

 

Mr. Seggelin questioned when the response would be due back if the RFP were issued at the end of August. Mr. Davis said that the previous RFP required a response within 90 days. For this RFP he would allow more time. There needs to be a sense of urgency but he said we do not want to close out people with meaningful ideas who need time to get the RFP together.  Mr. Straus indicated he did not see much difference in allowing 90 days or 120 days as an example.

 

Mr. Davis said that ideally we could report to the Board of Selectmen in the February – March 2012 timeframe and ground breaking would not occur for another year. Mr. Gladstone said you need time to tear down the building, get financing, permitting, and develop plans.

 

Ms. Friedman said if the RFP is issued at the end of August it would be due back by the end of November.

 

Mr. Ginsberg questioned what happens if no response is received and Mr. Gladstone replied that the Committee would need to go back to the Board of Selectmen and request that funds be budgeted to take down the building as it is a safety issue.

 

Mr. Seggelin said if we do not receive a response then shouldn’t we look at CPA funds.  Ms. Britton said she would be hesitant to ask for CPA monies because of the restrictions and Mr. Ginsberg agreed with her. Mr. Ginsberg said without the issue of taking down the building we might receive a lot more responses. He said that the tear down is a deterrent.

 

Ms. Friedman said she will reach out to the Community Preservation Coalition to verify if and how CPA monies could be used for the Sacred Heart property.

 

The Committee briefly discussed if the economy is a factor that will prevent us from receiving bids. If no responses are received the Committee will have to go back to the Board of Selectmen for advice.

 

Mr.  Davis will update the RFP and add in the Town Meeting votes. It was questioned if Town Counsel’s interpretation of residential use for this property should be included within the RFP as well.

 

Mr. Davis said he will contact Jeff Russell of the YMCA to see if he has any further interest in the property.

 

Mr. Davis said the hard part of issuing the RFP is determining what groups/organizations the RFP should be issued to. Mr. Ginsberg suggested that the Recreation Department Director could be a good source for recreation type websites. Mr. Davis said last time indoor recreational facilities were targeted. Ms. Britton suggested looking at non-profit websites as well.  Ms. Levitts will ask Town Engineer Peter O’Cain for the registry/government websites that are required.  Other suggestions included health clubs, real estate brokers and day care facilities.

 

Ms. Friedman said moving forward, minor changes need to be made to the RFP and matrix. Attorney Gelerman needs to review the documents from a legal perspective as well.

 

Each Committee member was asked to bring in 5 addresses of potential RFP recipients.  

 

Meeting Minutes

Mr. Keenan moved to approve the meeting minutes of 7/11/11 as amended.  Mr. Davis seconded the motion and the Committee voted 8-0-0 in favor.

 

Next Meeting

8/29/11

 

Adjournment

Mr. Davis moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 PM and Mr. Ginsberg seconded the motion. The Committee voted 8-0-0 in favor.