The Select Board voted unanimously at its Nov. 7 meeting to grant the community art collaborative Fivesparks a rent abatement to cover some of the financial losses the collaborative suffered when the lower level of the old library building flooded last May. Fivesparks rents the building from the town.
According to an Oct. 23 letter from Fivesparks President Mark Mikitarian to the town administration, the flood resulted from a failed water heater. Although the town quickly engaged a cleaning company, the water had damaged wallboard, which had to be removed and replaced. While that work was going on, Fivesparks had no restroom for about three months.
Fivesparks had to cancel many programs and classes, resulting in about $3,000 of lost revenue. In his letter, Mikitarian emphasized the arts group was not asking the town to reimburse its losses from those cancellations. But, he wrote, “[W]e do feel it is reasonable for the Town to reimburse us for the other expenses outlined.”
Those expenses totaled $1,421, which covered extra electricity to run fans and dehumidifiers to dry out the building; water and sewer charges while contractors were working on the building; and specialized cleaning of the dance and movement room floor. Also included was the cost of renting other venues to relocate the Harvard Music Festival last June.
Besides those extra expenses, Mikitarian wrote, Fivesparks lost access to 43% of the building’s usable space while repairs were going on, although the collaborative continued to pay its full $450 rent per month throughout the summer. The group requested an abatement of $580 of the three months’ rent in addition to the $1,421 in expenses, for a total of $2,001.
Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro responded by email, saying the town’s insurance company, Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA), would cover the specialized floor cleaning, which had cost $250, but had denied repayment for the other extra costs the collaborative had borne.
So Fivesparks turned to the Select Board. Introducing the issue, Chair Rich Maiore commented, “My view is we’re the landlords of this building, like it or not, and we need to step up.” With little discussion, the other board members quickly agreed. No source for the reimbursement money had to be specified, as Fivesparks will simply pay no rent until its extra expenses from the flood have been covered.
