In a Nov. 8 letter to Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao, the three state legislators who represent Devens asked for her help in gaining release of the $400,000 included in a 2022 bond bill for the study of the future of Devens.
This week she responded. In a brief interview, state Sen. Jamie Eldridge told the Press that Hao, who chairs MassDevelopment’s board of directors, has called for a meeting in her office before the end of the year to discuss the request with MassDevelopment CEO Dan Rivera; Eldridge, who represents Ayer and Harvard; state Sen. John Cronin, who represents Shirley; and state Rep. Dan Sena, who represents all of Devens.
The $400,000 earmark was requested by Eldridge as the last session of the state Legislature drew to a close and is included in Chapter 140 of the Acts of 2022. Members of the Devens Jurisdiction Framework Committee say they need the money now to hire the consultants who will help the committee draft the recommendations on the future disposition of Devens due from the towns of Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley by 2033. The money, Eldridge said, is meant to help pay for that study, not for other initiatives like the rezoning of Vicksburg Square. Money in a bond bill is released at the discretion of the governor.
The nature and scope of the services the framework committee says it needs have finally been set forth in a document approved unanimously by the committee at its Nov. 8 meeting. The document, a so-called request for expressions of interest, describes in great detail the scope of consulting services the committee says it needs. Although MassDevelopment representatives contributed to early drafts of the request, the agency has had no involvement in its content since it withdrew from the framework committee more than two years ago. The request will be sponsored by the town of Ayer and posted by its chief procurement officer, Town Manager Robert Pontbriand.
In their letter, the three legislators said that whether the $400,000 comes from the Healey-Driscoll administration or MassDevelopment was not important, but that the funding should be provided to the three towns as soon as possible to ensure they have the resources to understand the opportunities, challenges, and financial realities of the various forms of governance available to Devens as its redevelopment is completed.
Some members hope that the framework committee’s interest in the development of housing at Devens (see story on 1) and release of the request for expressions of interest will bring MassDevelopment back to the table. “They’re the elephant not in the room,” Pontbriand said at this month’s meeting.
Said Eldridge when questioned about the matter: “I’ve said many times, as I think you know, that it’s important for MassDevelopment to get back to being more directly engaged in discussions, whether it’s long-term disposition issues or the housing discussion.”
