Norcross House grant expected

By Debbie Gardner

PRIME Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW Last Tuesday, the Board of Selectmen gave tentative approval to place a proposed $235,000 Community Preservation Grant request from the Norcross Center on the Town Warrant.

"[Town] Attorney [James] Donahue submitted draft language for a warrant article, so the board did expect to put it on the Warrant by the deadline," Nick Breault, executive secretary for the Board of Selectmen told Reminder Publications.

Breault said that, though the deadline for submitting warrant articles has passed, the Board of Selectmen has the ability to place items on the warrant up to April 7. All warrant articles will be brought up before voters for approval or rejection at the Annual Town Meeting on May 19.

Breault also said that Donahue suggested a meeting be set up between himself, representatives of the Friends of the Norcross Center, their attorney and members of the Community Preservation Committee and the Board of Selectmen to finalize the details of the proposed warrant article.

Community Preservation Committee Chair Timothy Andrew Seeley confirmed for Reminder Publications that a meeting has been set between the parties at the Norcross House, located on Maple Street, for 2 p.m. on April 2. According to Selectman James Driscoll, this meeting will be open to the public.

"We welcome input from the public," Driscoll said. "We're trying to come to an agreement to the best situation to a) save a great property and b) spend the taxpayers' money responsibly."

Though Driscoll said he "100 percent supports" preserving the Norcross Center as a historic property, he wants to be certain that the town receives an asset in return for its investment. "I was the selectmen who sponsored the creation of the Community Preservation Committee; it's an institution that is near and dear to my heart," Driscoll said.

"My opinion is that what I want to see is the town invest in this and the Friends of the Norcross Center continue the renovations, but at the end, make sure the investment is respectful of the town's assets," Driscoll said.

"We're not in the position, financially, to be in the grant business," he added. "Eventually I think the town should own the property. It wouldn't be financially responsible for me to give a grant without the town having an asset [in return]."