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Select Board moves to close West Towns meeting room and pursues sale/triage of library and other town properties
Summary
The board voted to close the West Towns meeting room until further notice because of septic, mold and pest issues, and continued planning for potential sale or disposal of town-owned buildings (including the West Towns reading room and former Heart Library at 264 Dudley Road).
The Select Board voted on April 7 to close the West Towns meeting room "until further notice" after staff reported septic issues, moisture problems and pest concerns that make tenancy impractical. Valerie Gooditch moved the closure; the board amended the motion from "permanently" to "until further notice" to allow flexibility if conditions change.
TA summarized follow-up steps for town-owned property: obtaining block-and-lot identifiers, researching reverter clauses and historical documentation, and engaging building-commission review to assess parcel buildability. The board discussed the former Heart Library (264 Dudley Road), describing extensive mold and stored historic ledgers; members suggested triaging salvageable materials for the historic commission and coordinating safe access for volunteers or staff.
The board agreed to consolidate several town-parcel articles into a single warrant article with a table of properties and recommended that the building commissioner and an external reviewer (Bob Garside) evaluate parcel buildability prior to auction or disposal. Members emphasized that any proceeds should be directed to appropriate capital stabilization or restricted accounts rather than recurring operating costs.
