ADAMS, Mass. — Town meeting on Tuesday authorized the Board of Selectmen to negotiate purchase-and-sale and lease agreements for Memorial Building.

 

The vote was 85-2 supporting the sale of the former school building for housing and leasing back the gym/auditorium area for 20 years as a community center.

 

The goal has been to turn the south end of the 72-year-old building into a community center and Council on Aging facility using the gym, auditorium and offices. The condition of the building, primarily the bathrooms, has prevented this. 

 

Michael Mackin was the only bidder in the last request for proposals and plans to invest $1 million in the town's section, including upgrading the bathrooms that will make the space usable. He's proposing to put in 25 apartment units, of which around five will be affordable, and commercial space in the cafeteria.

 

Members spent more than a half-hour debating the wisdom of the sale, with some advocating for a way to retain ownership of the property. 

 

"I don't like the idea of giving away a nice beautiful location of a building and then having to pay rent for it," said town meeting member Corinne Case. "It just doesn't fit well with me." 

 

Community Development Director Eammon Coughlan said the town had always assumed it would be some type of condominium arrangement, with the developer taking over the classroom wing.