What
should be done with Pennell? Two more councilors add their views
By Elizabeth Prata
Gray--Last week, The Monument asked each Gray Town
Councilor what their vision for Pennell Institute
and Lab is, the buildings and 5-acre land complex
in the center of Gray that is currently managed by
the SAD but is one that Gray Council and Manager have
indicated they would like to own again.
The building would cost more than 1.5 million dollars
to make habitable and ADA (Americans With Disabilities
Act) compliant. Gray Town Manager Mitchell A. Berkowitz
and Vice-Chair Lynn Olson have generated financials
regarding the building's repair but Council Chair
Ms. Wilkinson has told The Monument that the information
will remain undisclosed unless and until she schedules
a workshop on the topic.
The Monument asked: If the citizens allow the purchase
pf the Pennell property through a vote, for what purpose
should the building be used?
Their answers last week
Council Chair Pam Wilkinson said "let
the voters decide" but did not indicate a the
Council had a particular use or plan for the building.
Vice-Chair Lynn Olson said that "It has
been protocol that all questions regarding council
business be made to the Chair. In this instance, I
am not sure if my opinion on Pennell is relevant;
any questions regarding vision certainly should come
from the Chair."
Councilor Matt Sturgis said that "I look
hard at the land and green space in the center of
Town and it is the greatest asset. The building is
a centerpiece for the town, but I am not enamored
of the Town Office going in there. I think it would
be more expensive. As to the Post office being empty,
I do not know why we are dragging our feet other than
to say that there are others that may want town office
to go in there, which would be much more expensive.
The existing town office does have ADA problems. I
do not have a decent answer as to why we are not moving
in. it seemed like such an 'emergency' before."
Two new opinions
Councilors Richard Hall and Gary Foster responded
but after deadline. Their answers are included this
week.
Councilor Richard Hall: "At this point
there is not enough information to give an opinion
on these subjects. We need to do more fact finding."
Councilor Gary Foster:
"First and foremost, it is up to the voters of
Gray to decide the future of Pennell Institute, if
in fact it is transferred to the Town of Gray. From
comments that I have received, though a very small
and unscientific sample of the population, it appears
that the majority of people do feel that Pennell should
be returned to Gray, and it is their wish that it
be.
My first thought on Pennell's future, if it is returned
to the inhabitants of the Town of Gray, would be to
transfer the building, for $1.00, to private ownership,
with the following contingencies;
1) It shall be used for the education of school age
children.
2) All necessary repairs shall be made to the building
as soon after transfer as reasonably possible, and
maintained in good repair thereafter. (If a prospective
buyer cannot be secured in a reasonable amount of
time, the Town should make only those repairs necessary
to prevent any further deterioration of the building.)
3) The architectural integrity of the original structure
shall be maintained, but with allowances for energy
efficiency such as insulation, replacement windows,
etc.
4) If, and when, the owners should decide to dispose
of the property, it shall be offered back to the Town
of Gray for $1.00 plus the cost of the initial repairs,
and allowing for depreciation.
The drawback to this scenario, however, is that it
would then leave us with the problem of finding a
home for the Gray Historical Society. If the Historical
Society, through grants and other fundraising, could
repair and maintain the property as a museum, that
would become my first choice.
My reasoning for private ownership is that I believe
as an historic building, of which many Gray residents
have close ties, Pennell should be restored and maintained,
but without placing a heavy financial burden on Gray
taxpayers. I believe that a municipal complex at Pennell
would be much too costly.
Back in 2002, I believe, when the purchase of the
Post Office building was included in the Town Meeting
warrant, and subsequently approved by the voters,
I was one of those who opposed it. The argument presented
by the Council at that time was the urgent need to
expand office space, and the narrow window of opportunity
for the Town to act on the purchase.
As Thomas Paine once said, "Immediate necessity
makes many things convenient, which if continued would
grow into oppressions. Expedience and right are different
things."
That may not be the case in this situation, but more
than 2 1/2 years have since passed, and it would appear
that the need to expand Town Office space wasn't as
crucial as presented at that Town Meeting. However,
it appears that unless the Town can exempt itself
from rules imposed on its property owners, the Post
Office property was a non-conforming lot that became
annexed to the Town Office property upon its purchase
by the Town, and now cannot be sold as a separate
parcel.
Since I joined the Council, I haven't been involved
in any comprehensive discussions with Council members
regarding Town Office space, but there have been issues
raised on occasion, from space for storage of Town
records to ADA issues. If storage is the only current
need, the second floor of Stimson Hall is empty, and
with a little work, could easily provide storage space.
As I understand, we are currently in ADA compliance
with regard to accessibility of information, however,
we do need to plan to make our municipal offices physically
accessible to all, which would likely include expanding
into the Post Office building, as that is probably
the more economically feasible option at this point.
As always, I welcome any comments and suggestions."
