NORTH STONINGTON — Without details regarding a potential tenant or specifics on a potential agreement, members of the Board of Selectmen have decided to wait to hold a town meeting on a possible lease for the two-story portion of the North Stonington Education Center.
The town will, however, appoint a subcommittee to aid the real estate agent in recruiting interest and expanding efforts to find a suitable tenant and come to a tentative agreement that can be brought back to the public.
The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday made the decision to delay a proposed hearing after several members of the public spoke out against it, calling any public hearing “premature” while expressing concerns that hosting a meeting now would not allow the taxpayers to make an informed vote once a tenant is identified.
“The town is not required to go to a town meeting before sending a request for proposals out to bid or before marketing it, or even negotiating a lease,” said Shawn Murphy, a former town first selectman. “Once the details of the lease are available, it is required by statute for the town to come forward with details of the lease for the public to act on.”
The concerns were among those presented by all three members of the public who spoke before the board during Tuesday’s virtual meeting. Alongside Murphy, residents Brett Mastroianni and Cathy White also showed support for seeking a tenant to fill the two-story portion of the wing, but wanted to wait until there was more information before being asked to vote at a town meeting.
The North Stonington Education Center, which is deeded to the town through the Wheeler School and Library, was turned over by the Board of Education earlier this year after completion of the school renovation project and relocation of students. The town went to bid seeking a tenant for the two-story portion of at 298 Norwich Westerly Road building in December — the rental was the chosen option for repurposing the facility following completion of the town’s school modernization project — but did not receive any bids.
The property is now listed on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) through IMT Realty.
First Selectman Michael Urgo, who said he would not challenge the will of the public or fellow selectmen, said he brought the concept of a town meeting up because of a desire to expedite finding a tenant and concerns that lack of a vote could hinder negotiations.
The concern for businesses, Urgo said, is that without a town vote to assure that the town is committed to a lease, there could be a lot of work to reach a negotiation only to see a deal fall through.
“I feel we as a board need town approval to lease the building, then we can say with some assurance that the town committed to doing it,” Urgo said. “Having seen the process play out at times, if I’m a business, then I’m not interested in going through all that effort unless there is some sort of guarantee.”
Selectmen Bob Carlson and Nita Kincaid each said that the public has been clear in wanting to know who would be the tenant and what the conditions would be, and said that it is simply too early in the process to hold a meeting that would provide enough information for the public to make an informed decision.
Both said it is also important to remain transparent throughout the process to help assure the public that a deal would truly be in the best interest of the community.
Carlson also said that without any details on a lease, language in state statutes would potentially require they hold a second town meeting on the issue, effectively creating another unnecessary step in the process.
“To do it now makes no sense because we will still need to come back to the town for final approval. So why put it out there now?” Carlson said. “I believe we should be waiting until we have someone in favor of leasing, have a contract in mind and can bring it back with proper information.”
Subcommittee to form
During Tuesday’s discussion, the Board of Selectmen announced it would move forward in naming members of a special subcommittee to help advance efforts to recruit a tenant for the North Stonington Education Center.
The committee, which will be charged with supplementing efforts of the town’s real estate agent, will consist of five members and include representation for the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, Economic Development Commission and Board of Education. The subcommittee would be expected to meet regularly, likely weekly, and would be disbanded after five months or at such time the subcommittee is no longer needed.
Members of the committee will be named the next Board of Selectmen meeting.
“I think the idea within the community is to maybe push a little harder, and it doesn’t hurt to have as many hands as possible coming together to make it work,” Urgo said.
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