FALMOUTH — The uncertain future of the former Plummer-Motz and Lunt elementary schools continues to generate anxiety as town officials struggle to find an acceptable reuse plan.

The Town Council will hold a special meeting July 11 to discuss various options for the 20-acre property, including the possibility of issuing a competitive request for proposals.

At the same meeting, Councilor Fred Chase will ask his colleagues to authorize the town manager to seek a proposal for the Lunt building and 10 acres from OceanView at Falmouth, a 60-acre retirement community next to the schools.

While some councilors worry about excluding other potential buyers and developers from the process, Chase said the council must act decisively now that voters have rejected a controversial reuse proposal that took two years to develop.

“I don’t want to spend another six months putting out (a request for proposals) when the OceanView folks are the logical people to deal with,” Chase said. “They’ve already told us they want the property. I think we need to see what they have in mind. It’s only common courtesy to consult your neighbor when you’re going to sell your property.”

On June 14, townspeople voted 1,938 to 1,777 against a proposal that would have allowed redevelopment of the Plummer-Motz and Lunt buildings into a community center and public library. The town has built a new elementary school on Woodville Road that’s set to open this fall.

Local ordinances typically require that officials seek competitive proposals when selling municipal property, said Town Manager Nathan Poore. However, the ordinance allows the council to waive competitive bidding if it can be justified by “unusual circumstances,” he said.

For Councilor Bonny Rodden, no such circumstances exist. Failing to seek competitive proposals jeopardizes the council’s credibility, she said, and limits the town’s ability to negotiate a good deal.

“It’s not fair to the town or to the business community to limit this to one developer,” Rodden said. “This would eliminate competition, and with competition you get the best price. It makes it look like OceanView has the inside track, and why should they have the inside track? This is like a back-room deal, and we need to err on the side of transparency.”

Furthermore, Rodden said, she’s unable to attend the July 11 meeting, so she won’t be present to vote on what she views as a critical town matter. She wants discussion delayed until July 25 so all seven councilors can participate.

“I don’t understand what the rush is,” she said. “This is way too soon to be taking action on this issue. We just had the election. I’d like to see this opened up to the public to hear everyone’s ideas before we make a decision.”

Chase said he has no financial interest in OceanView, but he does believe that the retirement community should be give special consideration as a major taxpayer and neighbor to the former school buildings. He said the town should seek competitive redevelopment proposals for the Plummer building and develop a community center in the Motz-Mason buildings.

Council Chairwoman Teresa Pierce said she believes the future use of the Plummer-Motz and Lunt properties should be decided with the best interests of the town in mind.

“I want to do this in a way that allows everyone on the council to have a say,” Pierce said. “I also want to involve the public as much as possible.”

 

Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at: kbouchard@pressherald.com

 

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