SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – The Springfield Selectboard met on Monday, Feb. 9, at the Springfield Town Hall, to conduct regular business, including the reappointment of deputy health officer John Claflin.
The 60 Park Street Project was up for discussion based on the recommendation of the long-term capital planning committee. Heather Frahm, selectboard member and chair of the long-term capital planning committee, presented an executive summary of the committee’s findings pertaining to the proposed relocation of some municipal services onto the property. The summary stated, “Park Street School is Springfield’s most strategic, lowest risk move, and one of the clearest opportunities to grow the Grand List in the near term.”
“The goal here is to get a sense from the board if you want us to move forward into more detailed analysis,” Pickup noted, “and a timeframe of when you might want that information, as it might line up with other important calendar dates in this current year.”
Frahm relayed that the committee began its research some time ago based on metrics determining what would have the biggest impact on the town over the next five to 10 years. The report acknowledges that the town is facing rising costs across municipal operations and capital needs, while the tax base has not grown fast enough to keep pace.
Several properties were studied, including the Parks and Woolson building and the correctional facility. The historic Park Street School location was found to be the lowest total-cost viable option for redevelopment and the consolidation of key civic services.
“It is multiple wins,” Frahm said. “We get Park Street revitalized, we increase the Grand List, we get some developers in town that hopefully can do some stuff, and we have new homes.”
Frahm mentioned the committee felt if the town committed to the project, this would lead to an unlocking of private funding, and calculated an estimated $9.7 to $11.2 million would be added to the Grand List.
The Black River Innovation Campus (BRIC), a 60 Park Street tenant, wants to develop middle-income housing, Frahm relayed, and informed the board that the property’s owners, the Springfield Regional Development Corporation (SRDC) are not interested in continuing their ownership of the building long-term.
Selectboard Vice Chair Michael Martin, who also serves as vice chair of the long-term capital planning committee, summarized, “[We would like to] have the town throw its weight behind the idea of relocating the rec center and the town offices to the old high school, and selling these two buildings.”
The board agreed that Pickup will oversee a comprehensive analysis of the property and come back to the board with a full report for their review, with an eye toward possible bond consideration on the November general election ballot or at a future town meeting.
The long-term capital planning committee’s executive summary can be found on the town website within the meeting packet.
Pickup presented the board with a spreadsheet tracking all ongoing capital projects, and commented, “It has been a little bit of a process for me to get up to speed on 32 different capital projects, so I am not an expert by any means, but at least now I have an understanding of what’s coming down the road.”
The selectboard’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be Monday, Feb. 23, at 6 p.m., at the Springfield Town Hall.