The Barre City Council voted Dec. 30 to ratify a Dec. 17 decision pledging $400,000 to the Barre Area Development Corporation (BADC) to support acquisition of 143 North Main Street, the long-vacant downtown building often referred to in the discussion as the Newberry’s block. The vote follows a BADC presentation, extensive council debate and more than two hours of public comment.

BADC’s presenter told the council the group has negotiated a $1,000,000 purchase price, is holding the property with a $5,000 option fee and estimates $100,000 for closing and short-term holding costs. “We have a $5,000 option fee, which, if the property is purchased, will go towards the cost of the property,” the presenter said. BADC asked the council for a $400,000 allocation from either the special projects fund or the Cozy Trust to leverage a broader fundraising campaign.

The presenter said the goal is to allow a public-private fundraising campaign to raise roughly $1.1 million (the purchase price plus allowances). He told the council that BADC directors had pledged a combined $75,000 in donations and that the city’s pledge would be held until there was reasonable assurance the rest of the funding was in place: “I can assure you, we have no intention to move … if we can’t raise the money, we’re not going to go to closing,” the presenter said.

Councilors split over the request. Supporters said the site is a persistent downtown blight and argued the pledge could leverage outside donations and private development that would expand the city’s grand list. Councilor Deering, who moved to ratify the prior pledge, said the one-time funds could be an investment that returns tax revenue over time and create housing and business opportunities downtown. Councilor Guston, who seconded the motion at the earlier meeting, also said she supported the pledge while acknowledging the council’s competing priorities.

Opponents and many members of the public criticized the timing and the use of special-project funds (federal ARPA pass-through dollars). Several speakers said the city should prioritize flood recovery, infrastructure repairs and directly assisting residents displaced or damaged by recent flooding instead of funding a private acquisition. One public commenter asked why city money would benefit a private owner and called for stronger code-enforcement tools to compel the owner to repair or demolish the building.

Multiple residents urged tabling the ratification to give the public more time for review and to require firmer commitments about future use. The council debated a motion to table; the motion failed on a voice vote, after which the mayor called the question and declared the ratification motion carried.

The ratification authorizes the city’s pledge as previously made on Dec. 17 and frames the city’s role as providing a conditional sponsorship or memorandum of understanding. City leaders reiterated that the $400,000 would not be transferred to BADC unless the broader fundraising campaign met the thresholds BADC described and staff confirmed legal and procedural requirements.

What’s next: BADC said it will prepare donor materials, launch a public fundraising campaign and work with the city on a formal agreement that preserves options for the municipality, including a right of first refusal or an option to take the property for $1 if appropriate funding or public policy favors that outcome. The council adjourned immediately after the vote.

(Reporting note: quotes and attributions come from the council’s Dec. 30, 2024 meeting transcript. The council referred repeatedly to charter section 303 and city ordinance section 26 when discussing meeting warning procedures and to local ordinance chapter 23 and state statute 24 VSA §3116 in public comments about tools to address unsafe buildings.)