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Concord task force votes to recommend Select Board pursue potential acquisition of 2229 Main Street
Summary
The 2229 Main Street Advisory Task Force on Oct. 15 voted to recommend the Select Board pursue negotiations with EPA and DOJ toward possible acquisition of the 2229 Main Street property, subject to negotiated financial terms and liability protections; the group set out initial next steps and a timeline for negotiations and planning.
At a meeting on Oct. 15, the 2229 Main Street Advisory Task Force voted to recommend that the Town of Concord Select Board "move forward on a path towards potential acquisition of the 2229 Main Street property," conditional on satisfactory negotiation of cost-sharing, liability protections and other terms with federal agencies.
Chair (unnamed) read the three-part recommendation into the record: that the Select Board 1) formally express interest in potentially acquiring the property; 2) direct town counsel to enter negotiations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Justice over financial terms and liability protections; and 3) pursue a multisite planning process in parallel to determine potential uses and development costs.
"This is the task force recommendation to Select Board," the chair said while reading the motion. "In order to both take advantage of the opportunities for meeting the needs of the town as well as to fully control the use of the property, the task force recommends that while final remediation is still underway at the site, the Select Board formally express EPA and interest in potentially acquiring the property." The committee then adopted the wording as presented.
During discussion, members emphasized that the recommendation is conditional. Speakers raised the need for explicit liability protections and for budgetary planning before any purchase. One member articulated the principle that the town "can always walk away" if negotiations do not yield terms the Select Board deems favorable.
The motion was moved by Speaker 4 and carried in a roll-call vote. Members who announced their votes during the roll call included Adam Rockwell (Aye), Chris Field (Aye), Gary Clement (Aye), Pam Hill (Aye), Kurt Herman (Aye), David Rotby (Aye), Bob Bowman (Aye) and others who announced "Aye" in the roll call.
Next steps: the task force will brief the Select Board with slides summarizing the recommendation and the report; members urged the Select Board to budget for legal costs and to authorize town counsel to begin negotiating liability protections with EPA and DOJ. The task force also scheduled further revisions to the report and follow-up meetings to finalize presentation materials.
The task force’s formal recommendation and the vote will be included in the materials the chair plans to present to the Select Board ahead of the group’s expected briefing.
