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Council approves revised South Meeting House lease; $7,634.90 CDBG repayment accepted
Summary
The council approved a revised lease with the Schlier Foundation and sublease to PMAC that repays $7,634.90 in CDBG funds and places building property coverage with Primex; councilors described the outcome as a practical path to reuse a costly historic building.
At the May 18 meeting, Portsmouth City Council authorized the city manager to execute a revised lease of the South Meeting House with the Schlier Foundation, including related subleases to the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC), and accepted repayment of $7,634.90 to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
Staff explained two principal changes in the revised lease: (1) the Schlier Foundation agreed to repay the CDBG funds previously used for a public-restroom improvement (the $7,634.90 repayment is intended to release the property from associated CDBG restrictions), and (2) Primex will continue to insure the historic building on the city’s behalf so that the tenant is not required to carry building property coverage; the tenant will remain responsible for personal property and equipment.
Councilor Cook noted that the repayment is appropriate because the restroom has not been publicly accessible under the prior use and that restoring the CDBG funds will help the city’s social-service and community programs amid an overall reduction in CDBG allocations. Councilor Begley moved the authorization; council approved the motion.
The council’s action clears lease obstacles and is intended to enable PMAC and the Schlier Foundation to move forward with programming and rehabilitation while retaining city oversight on insurance and historic‑building stewardship.
