Little Compton council forms 7-member Commons Review Committee to advise on restoration and reuse of town commons buildings

The Little Compton Town Council on March 13 voted to create a seven-member Commons Review Committee to recommend uses and an overall plan for the town commons buildings, including properties numbered 30 and 32, and to deliver a recommendation to the council by April 24.

The committee was approved after more than two hours of public comment and council discussion that focused on fire-safety violations, access to meeting space for community groups, the 1985 agreement with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), and two warrant articles that will appear at the upcoming financial town meeting.

The council’s charge calls for the committee to “recommend suggested uses of 30 and 32 Commons and an overall recommendation for the Commons” and to provide its report by April 24 so the council can consider and discuss the committee’s recommendations before the financial town meeting.

The council named six initial members and left one seat for the IOOF’s representative. The membership as read into the record is: Travis Audi (chair, School Committee); Amy Moody (director, Little Compton Community Center); Randy Watt (local fire marshal); Arf Sedanis (chair, Historic Preservation Committee); Leslie Fox (resident who lives on the commons); Gary Mataronis (Town Council member); and the Grand Master of the IOOF or his designee (a Little Compton lodge member). The council also opened a short process for letters of interest to fill committee seats where applicable.

Speakers at the meeting repeatedly urged the council to respect rights that the lodge says it holds under the 1985 sale-and-leaseback agreement. A town solicitor told the council the 1985 agreement “needs to be updated,” and the lodge’s representatives and longtime members asked the town to preserve meeting space for the IOOF. Grand Master Mike Seager and past international officer George Glover both described the lodge’s history and asked the town to ensure a place for the lodge to meet.

Residents and other speakers raised safety and access concerns. Bill McIntosh, a longtime resident and former volunteer firefighter, told the council the commons buildings are “dilapidated” and said installing sprinklers and other life-safety features could cost in the “about half a million dollars” range for certain work. Councilor Sancia Talbot said the town has engaged a fire-safety consultant and an engineer to design a shared water/sprinkler solution that would serve multiple buildings, and that costing estimates would follow once the design is complete.

Several speakers asked for broad representation on the committee; some urged including historical-preservation expertise and a lodge designee. The motion approved by the council reflects that input: the motion names specific municipal and community representatives, adds a historic-preservation seat and a commons resident, and reserves a seat for the IOOF’s representative or designee.

The council and members of the public discussed timing limits. Multiple speakers warned that the committee will have limited time to gather public input and technical data before the April 24 deadline. Councilors and residents suggested posting available background documents, accepting written letters of interest, and holding open committee meetings so residents can offer input before the committee issues its recommendation.

The committee’s charge does not remove either of the two warrant articles already scheduled for the financial town meeting, councilors said; those warrant articles will remain on the ballot unless and until the council chooses to amend or rescind them through the town meeting process. Councilors described the committee’s recommendation as guidance for voters and the council rather than a replacement for the articles already posted.

Votes at the meeting to establish the committee and to place related items on the council’s agenda were recorded by voice vote; the committee motion passed with the council’s unanimous voice vote on the record. A separate, earlier procedural motion to refer a time-sensitive matter from bond counsel to the town administrator passed 4–1. The council did not name each vote individually during roll call.

How this matters: The decision sets an advisory, time-limited process intended to gather community input, historical context and technical information about safety and adaptive reuse of buildings in the commons. The committee’s recommendation is likely to shape how the council and voters address the immediate fire-safety issues and the longer-term future of the historic commons buildings.

The council recessed into executive session after the vote; the public meeting record shows the committee appointment and the April 24 deadline will be the council’s next public steps on the commons.