City Council votes to sell fire station
By Doug Grindle Community Reporter

Marlborough - The Marlborough City Council brought years of discussion to an end at its meeting July 23 when it voted to sell the old fire station on Main Street to a developer, WRT Management, for $850,000.

The proposal had previously been passed by the Operations and Oversight Committee.

"It's been a long and winding road for this property and it's not been used by the city for a number of years," Ward 2 Councilor Paul Ferro said. "It's a good proposal."

The vote was not a foregone conclusion. Many city councilors said until recently they had been hesitant to sell the station. Councilors had considered using it to house more city offices.

"I was opposed," At-Large Councilor Steven Levy said. "Are we going to sell this building at a loss and spend more money on the Walker Building?"

Levy was referring to a proposal to increase office space at a nearby building. But he said he had changed his mind, and concluded selling the station to WRT was the right thing to do.

Ward 5 Councilor Maura Navin Webster said she had never supported the proposal. But she said she had reluctantly concluded that because the City Council changes its membership every two years, it cannot manage the property as well as she would have liked.

"I think with the changes every two years we just can't do that building justice," Webster said.

She said she would support the sale.

Ward 6 Councilor Edward Clancy echoed Webster's words.

"I am extremely disappointed at the amount we are being off ered for this building," he said.

But he added he would also vote for the sale.

"I have not been in favor of this for a time but I feel something needs to be done with this building," he explained.

The only councilor who opposed the sale outright was Ward 4 Councilor Peter Juaire.

"I can't in good conscience let this go for $850,000," Juaire said. "I think we are making a mistake to sell it after putting the money into it. The bottom line is we are losing a ton of money."

The city will need to take $209,000 of the proceeds from the sale and give it back to the city's Community Development Authority, after receiving the money as a grant. That $209,000 can be used for other city projects.

The vote did not come without some discussion. Ward 3 Councilor Scott Schafer said the neighbors had raised several concerns, and he was satisfied WRT would address those concerns.

The neighbors were worried that the space behind the building would be turned into a parking lot, and greenery separating the property from the neighbors would be cut. This will not happen, Schafer said approvingly. He noted the neighbors were also concerned that late openings would disturb the peace until the early hours.

"The neighbors would be more comfortable with a midnight closing," Schafer said. "WRT has agreed to that."

The council passed the sale by a vote of 10-1, with Juaire voting against.

The next step is for the deed to be executed and conveyed to WRT. From there, the building will still need to be finished. WRT is expected to spend another $240,000 making improvements to the property, adding new doors on the ground floor, a new cooling tower and other exterior finishing touches. It includes making the downstairs space usable by a restaurant.

Richard Olstein, one of the principals of WRT, said he did not know how soon a tenant could be found for the restaurant space.

"It is very difficult to predict," he said. "We're going to be the first tenant."

According to plans previously given to the city, the space will be converted into a restaurant on the ground floor, and office space on both ground and second floors.

Olstein said the nature of the building should make it easier to find a tenant, even in a difficult real estate market.

"This is a unique building in an exciting location," he said.