Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for White River Valley Herald
Barnard voters have approved a proposal to lease the town’s former fire department building to BarnArts Center for the Arts.
By a 66-41 vote on Town Meeting Day, they gave the green light to a project that’s been in the works for three years.
The lease will last for 15 years, beginning July 1 and ending on June 30, 2040. The cost is $1 a year.
BarnArts Executive Director Linda Treash has been working towards an agreement with the town for three years. Treash and her team aim to take a building that is somewhat of a liability and transform it into a space meant for everyone, at no cost to the town.
Community member Teo Zagar opened debate by putting forward an amendment to extend the lease period to 30 years.
Supporters of this amendment argued that the arrangement may not be successful if the lease is as short as 15 years.
“In order to raise the funds to actually do the renovations, usually investors and renovators and grantors will look for a longer term commitment,” BarnArts Board member Carin Park said. “The lengthening of those terms is necessary to make it go forward.”
However, some town members found a 30-year lease too long.
“I don’t have any objection to the idea of building in a renewal option, but I am against the 30 years,” Marty Bell said. “Fifteen years is a long time, 30 years, some of us won’t be here.”
When the amendment came to a voice vote. The “nays” were louder and the amendment failed.
Residents also debated the pros and cons of the original 15-year lease proposal. Some residents expressed concern about where the equipment currently stored in the old building would go if any lease were to occur.
Tom Morse, who was re-elected as an Town Auditor and Trustee of Public Funds, argued that the equipment could easily be reconfigured and relocated.
“There is no relocating, reconfiguring or replacing the cultural wealth that BarnArts has brought us over the years and will continue to bring us in the future,” Morse said. “I can’t imagine a better use of the fire station.”
For Charles Campbell, the old fire department is “a historical site that should be left alone.”
“Give them an inch, they go take 10 miles and they ain’t gonna give anything back to us,” Campbell said. “For Christ’s sake, this is not Woodstock. This is Barnard. Everythings a dirt road or a side road. And that’s it.”
Supporters of BarnArt’s initiative, like Megan Fuerst, believe this proposal is the best way to memorialize the building.
“What better way to celebrate that historical significance than with cultural elements and arts,” Fuerst said. “To me, a building with historical significance just being used for storage that no one can enter and appreciate is not as valuable.”
With potential cuts coming to the education system, BarnArt’s vision to provide a space not just for the community but also for childcare and educational enrichment resonated with many Barnard residents.
“It’s about the kids, you guys. It’s about the kids,” said Ed Jodice.
“We want to keep this town vibrant. We want to keep the schools filled,” said Carin Park.
In a ballot vote, 66 said yes to the 15-year lease and 41 said no. Although the lease is not as permanent as BarnArts and supporters would have hoped, the town seemed to settle on a satisfactory compromise.
In other business, Paul Doton, who had served as Town Moderator since 1992, announced that this Town Hall Meeting would be the last that he presided over.
“There are new people in town that have ideas and they need to be incorporated,” Doton said. “I’m not criticizing the old-timers or the new people, it’s just a new world and we have to adapt to it.”
Then, the chair of Barnard’s Recreation Committee, Justin Park, put forward an budget amendment to increase the Recreation Committee budget from $5,000 to $18,200. He said this came down to a miscommunication between the Select Board and the Recreation Committee, in which Park was not aware of a deadline for budget requests from the Select Board.
After logistical questions, residents passed this amendment to the budget.