Charlton officials weigh $50,000 for due diligence on former furniture store as possible senior/community center

The Charlton Select Board on Sept. 9 heard extensive public comment and board debate about whether to put a $50,000 capital appropriation on the warrant to fund due diligence on the former Charlton Furniture building as a potential senior and community center.

Town Administrator Andrew Coolis and members of the volunteer Community Center Feasibility Committee urged the board to authorize engineering, environmental and design studies to determine whether the building could be converted from retail to assembly use with a commercial kitchen and other needs. The committee presented the proposal as a next step to prepare a budget and scope for a possible debt-exclusion question at a future Town Meeting.

The proposal the committee and town administrator described would fund a property-conditions assessment ($5,000–$10,000); a 21E hazardous-materials assessment ($2,500–$5,000); a commercial appraisal ($2,500–$5,000 was stated in the packet, with a later stated range of $25,000–$5,000, see clarifying details); and schematic architectural design ($15,000–$30,000). The packet recommended a $50,000 appropriation to cover due diligence.

Committee chair Pat Stockwell and Council on Aging adviser Michelle Drum said the committee had reviewed multiple options over several years and considered the furniture store annex a fiscally responsible option that may meet seniors’ needs. Residents who used the senior center and other community members urged the board to let voters decide by placing the appropriation on the ballot; speakers described limited parking and accessibility at the current town-hall basement senior center and said a larger facility could increase participation.

Several Select Board members said they supported the idea in principle but worried about timing and town finances. Select Board member David Walker and others emphasized school capital needs, public-safety priorities and the possibility that any construction would require a debt-exclusion override. Walker said he would not vote to spend town funds on a study that could lead to asking taxpayers for further overrides without clearer budget offsets.

After more than an hour of debate and many public comments both for and against, the board did not take a final vote to place the $50,000 appropriation on the warrant. Board members repeatedly described three options: do the due diligence and let voters decide, do nothing, or move ahead without due diligence — the board said it would not approve moving forward without the recommended assessments. The feasibility committee and supporters indicated they would continue outreach to try to win the necessary support.

A town official noted the property had been subdivided and that one adjacent lot had already been sold; committee members said the annex building under consideration is about 12,000 square feet and an additional smaller building on the same parcel is roughly 3,000 square feet. The meeting record shows no appropriation was approved Sept. 9; the discussion will continue at future meetings before any vote.

Ending: The Select Board left the matter open for further work between the feasibility committee, town staff and board members. Committee members urged the board to place a due-diligence article on a future warrant so the matter can be decided by voters; board members who opposed immediate study cited competing capital demands, including school and public-safety projects.