NORTHBOROUGH – The Select Board accepted a bid of $1 by Millie Milton to purchase the former Northborough fire station at 13 Church St. during its Nov. 6 meeting.
According to interim Town Administrator Mike Gallagher, this was the town’s second attempt to sell the Church St. property. He said the town received one bid for the property.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the location, the size, the lot, the lot structure and the fact that the existing fire station has some significant issues regarding the materials that are in the building itself and some potential hazards that might be on the site,” said Gallagher.
The site is 0.42 acres and served as the fire station between 1926 and 1976. According to the request for proposals (RFP) attached to the Select Board’s meeting packet, after the Northborough Fire Department moved to its current home at 11 Pierce St., the site was abandoned. It hasn’t been occupied since the mid-2000s when it was used for storage space. The RFP states that it was vacated over concerns about the building’s structural integrity and repetitive exposure to the elements.
According to Department of Public Works Director Scott Charpentier, there are two Army surplus generators in the building that have never run and cannot be removed. The garage doors, he said, can’t be opened and the ceiling and upper-floor supports are compromised.
Town Meeting gave the Select Board the authority to dispose of the property in 2020.
According to the proposal attached to the packet, Milton would develop the site in combination with two adjoining lots that she owns “seeking to develop a larger parcel in downtown for developing a mixed-use building, or combination of buildings.”
Specifically, the proposal calls for developing a multi-use property that would invite “uncommon, creative and original businesses that will bring unique experiences to the community and downtown.”
“With the newly constructed bridge (2016) over Cold Harbor Brook, this lot is part of a gateway into our downtown and should be a welcome entrance to what will hopefully become a vibrant and engaging part of our town,” the proposal reads.
The proposal notes that the current building has deteriorated “to the degree of being unsalvageable” in its entirety. It adds that the bricks are in decent condition and could be incorporated into the new building design.
“It’s very nerve-wracking to me to have a building that’s so unsafe in such a heavily-trafficked area of town. I’m grateful that we’ll have an opportunity to find a use for this property,” said Select Board member Laura Ziton.
