HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981-12-16-ASCC-min.pdf Adams School Conversion Committee
Minutes of the Meeting of December 16, 1981
Present Jim Crain, chair Lillian MacArthur; Betty Levine; Hayg Boyadjian
Anna Currin; Frank Feury also Bea Phear
The meeting was called to order at 8 00 pm
Bea distributed samples of the developers packets to Committee members She reported
that ten packets had been picked up so far, and that seven development entities had
gone on tours of the building and two additional entities were already familiar with
the site There was a question period on the afternoon of December 16, attended by
two architects Lillian Mar8ztbuz/ Bob Bowyer, and Bea Phear were there to respond
to questions, as follows
I Please clarify the access to therenreatiou area? The Town is committed to access
for the public You come up with a plan
2 What about exterior changes, since the building is not architecturally significant?
The local residents feel strongly about the appearance, and the Committee wants to
respect this If you feel small changes are necessary to your design, go ahead and
put them iu/ but be aware that the goal is to keep the building looking the same One
of the problems last year, was a raised roof, which we don't want, nor a wing
3 Where is the lot line? I will ask the Committee
4 How can you guarantee that we will not be taxed out of existence? We can't You will
be taxed according to appraisal, as is all other property
5 You say no significant changes in traffic patter what is the traffic pattern? It
varies, again the Committee has a goal of minimizing impact
6 Are you really considering a residential option? Yes Last year a residential
proposal did not get to Town Meeting, and we are not totally clear about the source of
the trouble; however there were several problems with proposalar including adding
another story, lack of dealing with recreational access, very high density This
Committee has deliberated on the issue and has voted to request residential use
proposals as well as educational use You should take them at their word
7 There seems to be a perception that residential use will generate more traffic, which
is not usually the case Why? The Committee recognizes that school use generates
more traffic than residential at times That perception is not felt by the Committee
8 May we see last years plans? No They were discussed in executive session, and we
think the plans are propriatory and owned by the developers, but we will check and let
you know if you can see them
9 You say no increase in black top area Do you mean no net increase or no change? We
assume the Committee meant no net increase, and if you change the location in a way
that improves the site, it will be considered
10 Why don' t you come up with what the Town wants with more specificity regarding use,
and then we can develop proposals accordingly? The Committee wants to keep an open
mind and has followed this practice in all other conversions We dou/t want to close
off options that may be interesting and have merit
11 The timing is very tight, especially over the holidays Will you change the
due dates and give us another week? Probably not, but we will check with the
Committee and let you know if there is an extension
The Committee then discussed dome of the questions and made the following
decisions
1 Lot line As drawn on the attached sketch
2 It is allright to grant an extension The first proposal will be due on January 8,
with Committee review and screening scheduled for January 14 and 20 Bea will
notify the developers and rewrite the schedule accordingly (attached)
Jim told the Committee that he felt it very likely that Town Meeting would be
postponed until early April, so that schedule change is workable
Hayg asked about the Historical Commission article, and if we needed to do anything
to get it on the Warrant Jim said he would discuss it with the Selectmen, who
would decide if they wanted to write an Article
Hayg also asked if there was further information about the leasing length Jim
reported that it had been discussed with Norm Cohen, Town Counsel, who said that
we can only lease for ten years, unless we want to have an article on the Warrant
requesting that Town Meeting petition the Legislature for a home rule bill We
will invite Norm Cohen to the meeting of January 14 to clarify this issue for the
Committee
The December 28 meeting was cancelled, and the Committee decided to reconvene on
January 14 and 20 to review proposals Bea will have the proposals by noon on
Friday January 8, and the Committee members can pick them up from the Town Office
Building that afternoon, or from the Police Station in the evening or over the
weekend
The meeting was 'adjourned at 8 40 pm
.RReeess`pectfully submitted,
Beatrice Phear