The members of the Harvard Cultural Collaborative and its supporters filled the audience at the June 21 Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting, seeking a commitment to begin negotiations to lease the old library for five years. But the board told that group that a five-year lease would have to be approved at Town Meeting, and that even a three-year lease, which the selectmen could approve, would have to go through the request for proposals (RFP) process, allowing any interested party to propose a use for the building.
Board Chairman Ken Swanton told the collaborative that finding a productive use for the old library is one of the selectmen’s goals this year, and that they created steps to achieve that goal at their strategic planning meeting a few weeks ago. Those steps include compiling real estate market data, determining whether the School Committee is still interested in moving school administration offices from the Bromfield House to the old library, and asking for an updated proposal from the Harvard Cultural Collaborative in October, which the board hopes will include a plan to make the old library accessible. Selectman Ron Ricci added that the board should determine if there are any other municipal needs for the building, citing recent discussions with the Parks and Recreation Commission about hiring a recreation director. The board agreed, and added that step to its plan.
School Committee still interested?
Collaborative member Willie Wickman reported that she had recently spoken with School Committee Chairwoman SusanMary Redinger and School Superintendent Linda Dwight, and both said that the committee is planning to “do what it can” with Bromfield House so that administration offices can stay there. Wickman suggested that the collaborative get on the School Committee’s agenda next week to ask for a vote on whether it is still interested in the old library. But Ricci said that he was uncomfortable with a private group asking for that vote, and Selectwoman Alice von Loesecke added that the School Committee should make that decision on its own timeline. The board has assigned a mid-October deadline for the School Committee’s decision.
The Concord Area Special Education (CASE) Collaborative, which serves Harvard and 10 other school districts in the area, was also mentioned as a group that has walked through the old library to see if it would meet its needs for office space. Selectwoman Lucy Wallace said that she spoke with a CASE representative after that walkthrough, who said the space might be “expensive and difficult to use,” and that CASE is looking at other options in the region that it serves.
During public comment, several residents spoke in support of the collaborative, emphasizing the need for a place for residents to connect with their community. They also talked about the “highest use” of the building, saying the architecture is better suited for art exhibits, classes, and meetings than for office space. Swanton read a statement from Selectman Stu Sklar, who was absent from the meeting, that expressed that same sentiment. Sklar said he strongly supported the collaborative’s plan for the old library because it fulfilled many residents’ wishes to make the center a vibrant place, and because the library was given to the town to promote learning and community.
Wallace said that even if an RFP is required for a three-year lease, she believes that input from interested groups is needed to craft that RFP. She suggested that a subcommittee of two selectmen and two cultural collaborative members be created to discuss the parameters of the RFP so that the process would be transparent, and she added that other interested groups could participate.
Ricci was opposed to that idea, saying it might even violate the law, and that the RFP would end up being tailored to the collaborative. He suggested that instead, interested parties could contact the board with their plans and questions. Von Loesecke agreed, adding that any information from that process should be brought back to the selectmen’s meeting for discussion.
Swanton said that by its July 12 meeting, the board will have input from Town Counsel Mark Lanza on how to go about using input from interested parties to create an RFP for the old library.
