NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday referred a proposal to sell Sullivan School to the Finance Committee. 

 

"This has been out for quite some time," said Councilor Peter Oleskiewicz in making the motion. "I think it might be wise on our part to look right into this rather than jump right into it tonight."

 

Mayor Jennifer Macksey had hoped to gain immediate approval on the purchase-and-sale agreement with the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation but councilors balked at approving a document they'd had for only a few days. 

 

"You've worked on it. Now we want to do our due diligence and have our meeting and have discussions," said Councilor Lisa Blackmer, noting the mayor had been negotiating since June. "Hopefully you, and maybe [Community Development Director] Mr. Nuvallie, or whoever was involved in assessing it, if they could be there, that would be really helpful. But I'm not going to hurt and this is not going to be a case of this needs to be done now."

 

Councilor Ashley Shade, chair of the Finance Committee, thought a committee meeting would be best for a discussion and public input. 

 

The mayor, in response to a question about the need for a vote Tuesday, said MoCA had 120 days to do its due diligence, during which time the deal could fall apart. There was also an easement process to go through.

 

"We can't really start it until we have a signed purchase and sale," she said. "I'm happy with it going to Finance, but I want to walk away tonight with a date."

 

Councilor Wayne Wilkinson said it was the first he'd heard about an easement and had concerns about what he described as a "mock up" sale agreement. 

 

"What guarantees do we have that when you sign it's going to be identical to the one that you offer to us tonight?" he asked. 

 

The mayor said any modifications would come back before the council and the agreement would be filed with the Registry of Deeds. 

 

The nonprofit plans to turn the long-vacant school into affordable artists' housing and use classrooms on the lower level for music education in the summer. The proposal will create short-term rental spaces and condominiums catering to artists, designers and production personnel along with single-family modular housing on the 12-acre property.  

 

The school had been one of six city-owned properties the council had declared surplus back in 2017; since then, only the city yard and Notre Dame complex have been sold. Several proposals were put forward for the school but rejected by the council and sales of the Windsor Mill and the salt shed fell through.

 

The sale price is $50,000, far below the $2.6 million its assessed at. 

 

"I think that I more than anyone would love to be able to sell this property for its true value. But unfortunately, despite the best efforts of three administrations that hasn't been in our cards for us," said the mayor. "The city has advertised this property no fewer than nine times since 2016 over a period of nine years. Five of those procurements generated no offers on the property. The other four proposals received in 2017, and 2021, were rejected by the City Council at the time."

 

MoCA, the mayor said, was committed to developing a taxable residential property that will enhance the community and revive a beloved building. The project would also be vetted through the zoning and planning process. 

 

"The administration was very sensitive to reviewing these proposals and felt that it was a good fit not only for the community at large. But for that neighborhood," said the mayor. "I wouldn't want that in my back yard, but I've got to sell the property. It's a liability to us, and if we again, I don't want to be at the end of my fifth term, say, and still have the property in our hands."

 

A community meeting was held with MoCA representatives and neighbors in the fall, giving them the chance to ask questions and speak about their concerns, she said.

 

"They were concerned about what was happening to the property, as far as infrequent or frequent travelers that OC the building, fires, vehicles, drug sales, and now that we've discovered, pedophile meet-ups," Macksey said. 

 

Councilors Andrew Fitch and Keith Bona were ready to vote on the proposal Tuesday but said they would support the referral to Finance if other councilors wanted it. 

 

Bona said he didn't see the problems that past proposals had raised and noted it would be shifting the municipal property onto the tax rolls. 

 

"I have no problems with it going to committee," he said. "As is, I would have supported this tonight."

 

The mayor asked that it not take three months and the council unanimously voted to bring the matter back for the March 25 meeting.