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Council presses for clarity on Smith Baker Center RFP; city manager says RFP will be ready in weeks
Summary
A local nonprofit presented a plan to turn the historic Smith Baker Center into an arts and community venue, and city staff told the council an RFP to solicit reuse proposals should be ready within three to four weeks following hazardous-materials review.
A group led by Allies in Music Education and the newly formed Lowell Center for the Arts outlined a redevelopment proposal for the Smith Baker Center, and the city told the council it will issue an RFP in the coming weeks after completing hazardous materials work.
Owen Kelly of Allies in Music Education, who identified himself as the newly appointed CEO of the Lowell Center for the Arts, told the council his organization’s plan would transform the Smith Baker Center into a performing-arts and community center with performance spaces, education programs, rehearsal rooms, a commercial kitchen, and revenue-generating operations. “We have a plan, we have a team, and we have a clear path forward,” Kelly said during public comment.
City staff said they have received a hazardous materials assessment but were still reviewing its detail and that the study had not yet been overlaid with historic-preservation determinations. The city manager told the council the RFP would include language requiring respondents to work with the Massachusetts Historical Commission to identify and preserve historic elements.
Timing and process: the city manager said staff hopes to finish the RFP in three to four weeks and then schedule any council executive-session discussion that the council wants to have. Council members debated whether to meet in executive session to offer input on the RFP before it is released. One council motion to direct an executive-session review of the RFP failed on a roll-call vote; after that defeat several councilors said they may submit ideas to the manager in writing or in a lawful executive session so as not to give any bidder an unfair advantage.
Why it matters: the Smith Baker Center is a historic property the council previously considered for demolition; members rescinded that vote and asked staff to pursue alternatives. Councilors said they want to balance competitive procurement rules, the state historic-review process, and the community interest in preservation and use.
Next steps: the manager said the RFP will be released after required language and hazard-remediation requirements are incorporated; the hazardous-materials report is complete and staff is drafting the RFP language. Councilors requested the opportunity to review or submit input to the manager; staff said it would consider how to provide council input without disadvantaging potential respondents.
