This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
03/14/2018 12:00 AMHaving decided to hold off on making any decision regarding development proposals for Academy School, on March 12 the Board of Selectmen (BOS) voted to hold another public hearing to continue discussions surrounding the potential future use for the school. The public hearing is tentatively set for Wednesday, April 11 at 7 p.m. at Walter C. Polson Middle School, 302 Green Hill Road.
After two nights of developer presentations, more than 100 residents packed into Polson Middle School on Feb. 22 to voice their opinions about the Academy School proposals to the Madison BOS. While some residents offered input on the specific proposals, the large majority of people in attendance balked at the idea of developing any of the five acres of the Academy School parcel.
In the days leading up to the public hearing, residents turned to Facebook to express their thoughts and opinions. Groups dedicated to saving Academy—both the land and the character of the building—appeared and a movement began, referring to the parcel as “the wrong five acres” and calling on people to “save our fields and open space.”
More Time for Comment
The BOS opted on Feb. 27 to hold off on making a decision on advancing any development proposals forward at this time. After hearing numerous residents speak out against development, the BOS decided there needs to be time for more public comment before any decisions are made.
At the March 12 meeting, First Selectman Tom Banisch said he thinks it’s a good idea to hold another public hearing to get a better grasp on different ideas from residents and take the temperature of the town on this issue.
“At the last meeting I think we all agreed that we wanted to hear from people and give more people an opportunity to chime in with their feeling on Academy,” he said. “At this point I would like to schedule one more public hearing. I don’t think it hurts to keep this in the public discussion and to talk about it a little bit more.”
Selectmen agreed it would be a good idea to have a short presentation before opening up the conversation to the public, just to recap the process thus far. Selectman Bruce Wilson said while it is great to see the public coming forward with ideas, he reminded residents that one particular idea—combining the Island Avenue property with Academy to save some public space—is not an idea the BOS can discuss at this time.
“We have said it a couple of times here but the notion of Island Avenue as another way to come at this is really not on the table for us to discuss until the Board of Education takes action on it,” he said. “So we know they are closing a school but they have not indicated they are giving the property back to the town and that is a formal process they need to go through. The reality is until they do some sort of action it is not available for us to consider as a strategy. I encourage you to go to their meeting.”
Grassroots Participation
A few residents spoke about Academy at the meeting. Lynne Charles said she was pleased to see so much discussion around this issue and hopes these discussions will continue to bring up new ideas.
“I want to encourage this kind of democratic grassroots participation that you have already engendered and I think is so successful and to continue to realize that there might be solutions outside of the box,” she said.
Resident Gus Horvath, who served on numerous Academy Committees, said at the public hearings most people didn’t address the four development proposals and focused on saving the building and land for town use. Horvath said people need to understand that a 2012 and 2016 report on the building show high costs to the town to keep and rehab the building for municipal use.
“Rather than the $8 million plus that was mentioned in the 2012 study, the number is maybe as high as $13 million [in the 2016 study],” he said of the cost to keep the building. “So on the basis of that, I would suggest that in order to present to the public the options that number one came from the RFP and also the option of retaining the building and the property under ownership of the town that we have to have a number for that second proposal.”
Proposals Vary
After working with consultant Colliers International, the town had presented four options in two public meetings. Offered by four developers found qualified to complete the project, the proposals called for the addition of 24 and 79 new housing units while possibly retaining some community and recreational amenities. One-time proposed purchase payments top out at $1.2 million.
On Feb. 12, RAL Development Services and Greylock Property Group offered up their proposals and on Feb. 13, Women’s Institute-Hope Partnership and Dakota Partners, Inc., presented their proposals. According to Mark Sklenka of Colliers, potential developers were provided a packet including existing building information like the floor plan, conditions assessment, hazmat survey, and market reconnaissance study. In addition to the details of the building, the developers were also given a list of priorities distilled from the workshop meeting including maintaining some level of open space and the playground, maintaining the shell of the 1921 building, applicable zoning regulations, and a desire for mixed use.