Aldermen press staff for sites and interim fixes; Elm Street limited as full shelter

Committee members pressed staff for a concrete timeline to identify a shovel-ready site for the January grant application and discussed short-term responses to immediate needs.

"We need to know the site sooner rather than later," Matt Sullivan, community development director, told the committee, noting that environmental review and some application components require a defined site. Tim Cummings said site selection drives many downstream items including zoning, design and construction-permit timing.

Several aldermen asked whether existing city-owned options such as Elm Street Middle School or portable classrooms could be repurposed in the short term. Director Bagley replied Elm Street works as a warming station but "for some of the other things that we need to have in place... it doesn't meet the bill," citing code, bathroom and shower limitations. She added that a community partner had offered interim space for resource-center activities and staff planned a "proof of concept" rollout in September.

Alderman Johnson noted the high renovation estimates for buildings like Mulberry Street and urged staff to consider city-owned property or lower-cost options; other aldermen counseled caution about temporary fixes becoming permanent. Staff said a phased approach—optioning a site and funding limited design work—could reduce the unknowns that make the $5–6M estimate hard to validate.

The discussion closed with agreement to continue site-search work and to present more detailed options (including potential interim partner arrangements) to the ad hoc committee or the full board as appropriate.