ROCKPORT — Residents will again debate purchasing the former Granite Savings Bank building, located adjacent to Town Hall at 26 Broadway, as additional town office space, at the annual Town Meeting this spring.
The Planning Board, Building Study Committee and Capital Improvement Planning Committee have all been working together on long-range plans for the town's municipal buildings, and recently decided the needs of Town Hall should be Rockport's top priority.
The Planning Board, represented by Chairman Samuel Coulbourn, outlined its bid to the Board of Selectmen last night before the board voted 4-1 to place it on the Town Meeting warrant, asking voters' approval to purchase the property.
Officials supporting the purchase point to a 1997 study of town-owned buildings and a 2000 Smart Planning Report that both recommended increasing office space for Town Hall to accommodate for growing staff and increasing state and federal mandates for additional programs.
Crowded conditions, shared work space and the lack of departmental conference space compromise the delivery of services, confidentiality and efficiency, Coulbourn noted.
The Building Study Committee is exploring two possible solutions to alleviate Town Hall's crowded conditions.
The first option would be to construct a 2,800-square-foot addition to the back of the existing Town Hall. Draft plans have been drawn up and construction costs estimated.
The other possibility is to acquire new space. Officials said the usable office space in the bank building is "somewhat greater" than that proposed for an addition, but cost estimates for retrofitting the two-story building are still "being explored."
"The plan to build an addition to Town Hall might be more expensive than actually buying the bank building," Coulbourn said.
A majority of selectmen must approve putting the question to voters in order for it to appear on the annual Town Meeting warrant this spring.
At least one selectman has already voiced opposition to the idea.
"I will not be supporting putting (the building purchase) on the warrant a third time," Selectman Ellen Canavan said yesterday, before being the lone vote opposing placingthe article on the Town Meeting warrant. "I question the Planning Board's involvement at all; the subject is not rezoning or subdivision control."
The building, which is listed with Beaton Real Estate for $849,900, has become a point of contention in town as some residents wanted the town to purchase the 4,500-square-foot building with 13 parking spaces for use as a senior center, while others believed the community couldn't afford it or, if it was purchased, would not be properly used or maintained.
Voters at last fall's Town Meeting rejected a measure aimed at acquiring the former bank building for use as a senior center by a 220-80 vote. The vote came after residents had already approved a $2.2 million renovation of the Community House, with space set aside for a senior center in that facility.
In that case, the author of the bank purchase petition article, Christopher Lewis, introduced the proposal but never spoke in support of it — much to the dismay of several residents who stepped up to the microphones and asked Lewis to answer several questions.
Canavan said yesterday she sees the new proposal as "mostly a copy of (Christopher) Lewis' — without any 'donations.'" Lewis' plan had called for funding from private sources.
Coulbourn, who indicated residents expect their town government to be centered downtown, said that purchasing the bank building could be instrumental for the future as the town continues to grow. He said the town still has yet to formally approach bank officials to discuss the possibility of purchasing the building at a reduced price.
"Addition of the Granite Bank parcel to land already owned by the town makes good sense," Coulbourn said, "for current use and for future possibilities."
Among the development options for what would be a combined 1.32-acre plot are:
A new, energy-efficient center for government, designed to utilize the latest in office technology.
A combined public and private business structure boasting entrepreneurial business workspace and municipal offices.
A combined public and residential venture which would include housing and a centralized government campus.
A combined public and retail design aimed at taking advantage of the parcel's two street-fronts; the Broadway sidewalk could be enlivened by retail shops, galleries and restaurants, planners say, while "less-commercial" Jewett Street could serve as the front door for town government offices.
Lastly, the town could construct a new, larger municipal building as well as a lower-level parking deck tucked beneath the new building by "taking advantage of the natural grade slope of Broadway."
"For all of the ventures, convenient, nearby parking is essential," the Planning Board said in a document outlining possible future plans for Town Hall. "How to provide that is a challenge that must be met if Rockport is to have a sustainable economy."
Former town accountant Bill Parsons suspected the Granite Savings Bank property would be "thrust upon" Rockporters again.
"So we can have more property to let deteriorate, as we did with the Community House, Boy Scouts Hall, the Firehouse, Dock Square, Carnegie Library, American Legion and the house on Pleasant Street's old Department of Public Works land, to mention just a few," Parsons wrote in a letter to the Times. "I hope the taxpayers will rise up and say, 'no more! We cannot afford it!'"
The Planning Board, however, indicated that — despite the recession — the town should seize the opportunity to buy the building.
"The nation's economy is struggling. Individuals are struggling to keep their jobs, support their families, and pay their taxes," the Planning Board stated in its proposal. "But adversity brings opportunity. In a good economy, it's unlikely the bank parcel would have remained on the market for such a long time.
"It's unlikely such an opportunity will come again," the proposal continued.
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