BARRE — Downstreet Housing and Community Development will receive $250,000 of the $2.5 million in pandemic-related federal funding that was awarded to the city and will use it to help cover the cost of converting one of Barre’s old neighborhood schools into nine new, subsidized apartments.
A decision that looked as if it might require Mayor Jake Hemmerick to break a tie in his absence last week proved easier than expected Tuesday night.
Armed with new information, two minds changed and Hemmerick didn’t have to cast a decisive vote to advance the project, though it was clear he would have.
A week after agreeing to table the matter so that Hemmerick could participate in the vote, councilors — some more enthusiastically than others — voted 6-1 to gift Downstreet $250,000 to advance a project all agreed they conceptually supported.
For councilors, the debate that began last week and resumed Tuesday night was never about whether Downstreet was a responsible developer, or its plans to convert the former Ward 5 School into housing for low-income residents. It was mostly about whether the project really warranted $250,000 in one-time funds and, if it did, whether a long-term loan that would allow the city to further leverage the money was a viable option.
Those were the questions raised by Councilor Thomas Lauzon last week and while he said they had been mostly answered by Angie Harbin, executive director at Downstreet, he wasn’t completely satisfied.
“I’ve never approved a $250,000 appropriation with so little information,” said Lauzon, who served for 12 years as mayor before stepping down in 2018 and then running for and winning a Ward 1 council seat last year.
That concern aside, Lauzon noted he first approached Harbin’s predecessor, Eileen Peltier, about converting the old school to housing when he was mayor several years ago and is still supportive of that concept.
Lauzon said his only concern was whether the city was getting as much mileage as it might out of the money it received under the American Rescue Plan Act.
“What I am all about is leverage,” he said, defending his suggestion a loan might suffice and creating a revolving loan fund would maximize the impact of the money.
“The only thing better than giving $250,000 to Downstreet is being able to give it to them three times,” he said.
Lauzon noted his lingering unease about what he characterized as “a lack of preparedness” when joining the majority in a 6-1 vote in favor of providing Downstreet with what Hemmerick described as “critical gap funding” for a $3.5 million housing project.
“We have an opportunity to make something happen, to make sure this council just doesn’t spin and spin, and spin, and wait, and not get something done,” Hemmerick said as the discussion was nearing an end.
Hemmerick noted the outpouring of support for the appropriation, during and after a public process designed to solicit feedback on how the city should spend the ARPA money it received.
Infrastructure and housing were top priorities and, he said, the contribution to Downstreet was a modest down payment on the latter, while giving the city the ability to invest most of the rest in infrastructure.
Hemmerick predicted rejecting Downstreet’s request could kill its plans to acquire and renovate the former school on Humbert Street.
“I fully believe this project could fall apart if this council does not act,” he said.
It did, after a discussion that was enough to satisfy Lauzon and Deering, even if Councilor Michael Boutin wasn’t swayed by what he heard.
Boutin said he wasn’t opposed to the Downstreet project but was uncomfortable with the council unilaterally contributing $250,000 to its project. He said, putting the request on the ballot was one option he could support, and structuring it as a loan was another.
Rosemary Averill, who is running for the Ward 2 council seat now held by Teddy Waszazak, echoed that sentiment, though those opposed to simply granting Downstreet’s request were outnumbered — both on the council and in the audience.
Ward 1 resident Garrett Grant said Downstreet was a reputable developer pitching a reasonable plan that deserved the council’s support and an investment of city resources.
“Why not trust them (Downstreet) to proceed with this project that fills a vacant building, preserves another piece of Barre’s rich history, while doing something to chip away at our affordable housing crisis?” he said, noting the absence of an alternative plan to address what he viewed as a serious and time-sensitive issue.
“If not now, when?” he asked.
That was the majority view — one that enjoyed Waszazak’s unflinching support last week when he asked that it be tabled for fear it would fail and again Tuesday night when he believed the votes were there to pass it.
Waszazak said he appreciated concerns raised by Ward 3 resident Amy Galford, who openly wondered whether the money might be better spent upgrading the crumbling streets and sidewalks that lead to the former school.
“Having those nine new units is going to catalyze the city make those investments to that neighborhood,” he said. “That’s nine new reasons why we should prioritize that street and why we should prioritize those sidewalks.”
Councilors Emel Cambel and Samn Stockwell both reiterated their support for the project and willingness to provide money they were told was needed to make it happen.
Though Lauzon and Deering would have been “no” votes last week, both voted with a majority that included Hemmerick.
Built in 1901, the Ward 5 building was part of the network of neighborhood schools that were all shuttered and sold after Barre City Elementary and Middle School opened in 1995.
The Barre Housing Authority bought the former school from the city for $5,000 in 1997 and converted it into its headquarters. Those offices were abandoned in favor of more centrally located leased space on Washington Street in 2013. The building has been used for storage, but essentially vacant ever since.
Downstreet is looking to change that and, if all goes as planned, Granite City Apartments will be under construction this summer and ready for occupancy early next year.
david.delcore @timesargus.com
