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08/27/2019 01:45 PMThe long-running saga of the shuttered Academy School is slowly moving toward a possible referendum, as the Board of Selectmen (BOS) approved the continuation of the Ad-Hoc Community Center Design Committee (CCDC).
CCDC Chair Bill Stableford said he submitted the $14 million plan for a community center in the Academy building to the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Committee, setting the project up to go before the BOS in the coming months, and possibly reach referendum in the spring.
The 53,000 square-foot former elementary school has been vacant since 2004, which has frustrated many residents. What to do with the property has remained a point of contention in Madison, though recent polls and public hearings have indicated most people would like to see it renovated as a community center.
It was with this in mind that last February, the BOS created the Academy School CCDC, which presented its conclusions and design to the BOS on Aug. 5.
The committee worked alongside project management company Colliers International to create a design proposal, create a cost estimate, hold public input or workshop sessions for the public, and recommend next steps for the design proposal. In the end, it found that Academy was “feasible for conversion to a community center” and “could address many of the unmet space needs not currently served by existing buildings and town entities.”
Though the final net cost to the town for the $14 million project is unknown, a series of tax credits and grants had the “potential” to add up to around $4 million, according to Stableford. The BOS will be responsible for taking the next steps.
The committee’s report explored a myriad of possibilities for the center, from pottery classes to permanent spaces for organizations like Madison Youth & Family Services. Stableford said the potential community center would be designed to accommodate a wide range of future uses.
“I think we’ve pretty much agreed that we’re going to try to get this on the referendum for next May, get a question on the referendum about Academy School,” said First Selectman Tom Banisch (R). “What we need to do in the next few months is determine what that question is going to be.”
Mission Accomplished?
Also to be decided was the fate of the CCDC. Banisch expressed doubt about whether there was any need to keep the committee going, now that it had finished its final presentation and design.
“I feel like they have fulfilled their charge,” he said.
Selectman Al Goldberg (D) disagreed, saying he thinks there is more work the committee can do. He cited “misinformation” that had clouded other discussions about the school, and said he envisioned the committee becoming “the unimpeachable source of information about the project” going forward
“I see absolutely no reason why we should end the committee’s existence,” he said.
“Speaking on behalf of our committee, we are unanimous in believing that our work is not done,” said Stableford.
At its regular meeting on Aug. 26, the BOS eventually extended the committee’s charge after some discussion and confusion. The selectmen emphasized the responsibilities of seeking grants for the project and providing information to the public.
The confusion stemmed from the question of whether the committee could or should try to continue to work on the proposal that it had already submitted to the CIP. Stableford said there are potentially unexplored sources of revenue for the project, specifically partnerships with local businesses.
“If we let this project hang out there, and don’t start to move forward with the information we’ve got, we lose a whole budgeting season,” said Selectman Bruce Wilson (R). “I’m content to let the committee continue to work, but we have to take the work to date and incorporate it into our capital plan.”
Eventually, the selectmen agreed that, while the committee would continue to work to identify potential grants and provide information to the public, the proposal and information that had been submitted would be taken as-is.
“We have citizens here who are offering to stay involved and active and help drive something for us,” said selectman Scott Murphy (D). “I think we should be taking full advantage of that.”
CCDC member Rosalyn Cama emphasized there was a time factor as well. She said that Colliers had given the committee a two-year window to keep to the estimated budget.
“The process of going through some of these commission requests take time,” said Cama. “We’re willing to do our due diligence...that if [the referendum] goes through, we’ve prepared to then act.”
The CIP Committee will review the plan and eventually return it to the BOS for approval.
On the question of a future referendum, there was some semblance of agreement.
“At the end of the day,” said Murphy, “we have got to get this thing to referendum and let the public decide.”
But the exact nature and phrasing of the referendum question will be up to the BOS. How the question is presented and exactly what options will be offered could greatly influence the fate of Academy.
“Is the question, ‘Do we have a community center?’ Is the question, ‘Do we do something else?’ That’s what we need to work on now,” said Banisch.
Goldberg offered a specific idea for what he thought the referendum should sound like.
“I’m looking for a very fair, simple binary question,” he said, “which is, ‘Should we do this or should we not do this?’”
Banisch emphasized that while much of the talk has centered around the community center idea, he was still approaching the future of Academy as unresolved.
“I’ve had a lot of people asking me, ‘What are we doing with Academy? What has been decided?’ Nothing has been decided,” he said. “What has happened is information gathering, and people making proposals on what they would like to see there.”
Between now and any potential referendum are the November elections, which could potentially upend any plan the BOS puts in place. Banisch, Goldberg, Murphy, and Wilson are all seeking re-election this year.