Gardner officials announced an open request-for-proposals for the School Street School building and said the bids — opened this week — are due Sept. 24, 2025, as the city examines whether roughly $770,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds set aside for demolition can be reallocated if the building is sold and rehabilitated.

The RFP process will evaluate technical proposals (proposed reuse) before price, Director Stevens said, and the city must follow a previous council decision that set a $1 minimum price floor for the property. The city has received interest from roughly 15 parties requesting plans and site information, officials said.

Why it matters: the School Street School represents a major one-time use of the city’s CDBG funds. If the city sells the building and those proceeds or the project change the planned use, Gardner must work with the state distributor, Housing & Livable Communities (HLC), and HUD rules on reclassification of grant funds before reallocating them to other projects.

City staff said the School Street School demolition allocation is near $770,000 and that other available CDBG funds from 2022–23 administration under-runs and projects coming in under budget total about $200,000, yielding roughly $1.0 million available to program for future projects. Staff are reviewing whether reclassified funds remain bound by the same CDBG parameters (percentages allowed for social services and infrastructure) when moved mid-program year.

Procedure and public input: staff said the RFP will be evaluated by a review committee that includes at least two councilors; Councilor Kosinskas and Dr. Stephanie Marchetti have agreed to serve, and the city is seeking a third reviewer. Staff told the committee that if a reallocation would change project allocations by more than 10% of a grant program year, city policy calls for a local public hearing to gather resident feedback; HLC’s minimum requirements allow written public comment but do not require an in-person hearing.

Current status and next steps: bids are due Sept. 24, and staff will evaluate technical proposals before price. If the city pursues a sale and seeks to reallocate CDBG funds, staff will consult HLC and HUD, and will publish any formal Q&A tied to the RFP on the city website so all bidders have equal information.

Ending: staff cautioned that if no acceptable proposals arrive the city will proceed with demolition because engineering reviews indicate the building may not survive another construction season. Officials said they will report results of the RFP and any funding reallocation recommendations at upcoming public meetings.