Two members of the Harvard Cultural Collaborative delivered a present to the Board of Selectmen at its Aug. 9 meeting: a stack of petitions signed by 785 registered voters supporting the use of the old library at 7 Fairbank St. as a cultural and/or community center. The petition also asks the board to expedite the release of a request for proposals (RFP) for the building, currently planned to be released at the end of November. Collaborative member Jan Daley spoke to the selectmen during the public communication portion of their meeting as Kirsti Gamage delivered the signed petitions to board Chairman Ken Swanton. The board did not respond to Daley’s comments or the petition.
Daley told the selectmen that the collaborative created the petition “in response to delays in the process of repurposing the building and concern that the space could be removed from public access.” She said that the collaborative wanted to show the selectmen that there is community support for its proposed use of the building as a cultural center. Signatures had been collected over the past two weeks at various town locations, such as the Transfer Station and the beach, and they were easy to obtain even at this time of year when many residents are out of town, she said.
At the June 21 selectmen’s meeting, the collaborative had asked to negotiate a lease. The selectmen responded that an RFP would be required before leasing the building, and that they wanted more data before they could write an RFP.
Finding a use for the old library is a goal of the selectmen this year, and the board’s steps to achieve that goal include compiling real estate market data, determining if there are other municipal needs for the building, and asking the collaborative for an updated proposal that includes plans to make the building accessible.
