The Municipal Buildings Task Force, appointed last fall by the Board of Selectmen, was charged with evaluating uses for municipal buildings in town center. The town owns a number of prominent, centrally-located, underutilized properties, each with substantial deferred maintenance, and each requiring major systems upgrades to comply with current codes and to reduce operational costs. These properties are a financial liability. At the same time, they are a resource with considerable potential. These historic structures provide the town with an opportunity to improve the quality of life in Harvard by expanding the breadth of services and activities available to the community.
Since its formation, the task force has sought to develop and evaluate alternative uses for the old library, the Town Hall, old fire station, and Hildreth House properties, consistent with current requirements of town activities. At the same time, the task force has looked for opportunities afforded by the properties to support new, as well as expanded activities benefiting town residents, and has evaluated the need to minimize renovation costs and long-term operational costs. It has recognized the need to establish a viable implementation plan.
As a result of its evaluation, the task force is sponsoring Article 23 of the town warrant that will be considered at Saturday’s Annual Town Meeting. The article requests $70,000 in funding for professional services that will be required as part of a year-long effort to take the evaluation of town buildings to the next level—developing the cost, utilization, and revenue information needed to devise an implementation strategy for the use and renovation of Town Hall, the old library and Hildreth House. These professional services include engineering and cost-estimating services that are unavailable from town volunteers. The warrant article is endorsed by the selectmen, the Capital Planning and Investment Committee, and the Finance Committee.
Task force conclusions
During the last several months task force members talked with the potential users of these buildings, compared their space requirements with the buildings’ characteristics, reviewed the condition of the structures, and held two major town workshops. These are the findings:
- Town government should continue to reside in Town Hall. The building can be renovated (and possibly expanded to connect with the vault in the old fire station) to accommodate all the offices, meeting space, and storage necessary for efficient and effective town government.
- Restoration of upper Town Hall for gatherings is highly desirable.
- The old library has two possible uses: a multi-purpose community center or a revenue-generating business center. Both can be tested in the coming year, the first by actual use; the second in the marketplace.
- While the idea of purchasing the Catholic Church for the Council on Aging has merit, neither availability of the building nor successful negotiations can be assumed. Therefore, alternative accommodations of COA activities have to be identified. Reconfiguration of the Hildreth property as a senior center is one option. Alternatively, Hildreth could be used to generate revenue.
- High priority should be given to optimizing use and minimizing capital and operating costs of civic facilities—town buildings, churches, and the Historical Society. To achieve this, an inventory/scheduling tool could be developed.
Next steps
These conclusions establish clear objectives for addressing municipal building use, while highlighting the fact that the Municipal Buildings Task Force lacks the detailed information needed to make recommendations for specific construction projects. The proposed year-long evaluation will help to develop that information.
The evaluation for which the proposed funding is sought will focus on a strategy for the use and renovation of Town Hall, the old library and Hildreth House. Tasks will include:
- Evaluation of existing building fabric and systems
- Programming of the desired uses
- Design of alternative concepts for Town Hall
- Analysis of upgrade requirements for the old library and Hildreth
- Estimation of renovation and possible expansion costs
- Testing the viability of the old library as a community center
- Testing the revenue potential of old library and Hildreth
- Exploring grants and other funding opportunities
- Inventory of civic spaces and creation of a scheduling tool
The findings of the study will be presented to the selectmen and the Finance and Capital committees in early 2011, pursuant to proposing an implementation strategy to Town Meeting. The strategy will include a phasing schedule, specific proposals for design funding and/or property leasing, and property management recommendations.
Following Saturday’s Annual Town Meeting, the Municipal Buildings Task Force will attend the first May meeting of the new Board of Selectmen to seek approval of a team of volunteers to address the various tasks. The task force will propose an organization of seven subcommittees:
- Town Hall-town government
- Old library-community center
- Hildreth House-senior center
- Hildreth and old library as revenue-generators
- Space inventory and scheduling
- Grants and other funding
- A design team
A steering committee will be formed, composed of one of the two co-leaders of each of the subcommittees, plus a chairman.
Since the Municipal Buildings Task Force initiated this project, it has made a concerted effort to draw on the ideas, energy, and wisdom of a broad range of citizens and to do so in a manner that had everyone working together. The multiplier effect of this methodology is apparent in the success of the endeavors to date.
While the format in the coming year will differ somewhat because the tasks are more detailed, the task force will employ the same open techniques as it has in the past. Subcommittees will share their ideas with one another, and public workshops will occur throughout the year.
The subcommittees will have an anticipated core membership of 7 to 10 people. Their initial tasks will be to refine their objective, detail the process, and create a schedule. In order to complete the work, the groups will likely meet twice a month.
The task force would like to hear from anyone with a passion for one of these tasks and the time to contribute, as well as anyone with particular expertise that could be shared to help make this a success.
This project provides an opportunity for residents to shape this town and build the community. The Municipal Buildings Task Force looks forward to residents’ support and participation.
