Tuesday's TGN

Templeton selectmen agree to one-year extension of town offices lease

TEMPLETON — Without plans to create a permanent town hall and unable to afford a long-term lease, the Board of Selectmen on Monday signed a one-year extension of the agreement to utilize 690 Patriots Road as municipal offices. “Given our options, our lack of funding, uncertainty with the school budget and with our own budget, this is our best option,” said Selectman Julie Farrell. Several municipal departments moved their offices to 690 Patriots Road — owned by JBM Services Inc. — in 2005. The building’s owner is now seeking a long-term lease under which the town would rent more space in the facility and pay approximately $80,000 annually, compared to the current $52,000 per year for the space currently occupied. Additional funding for town offices is not available in this year’s budget, officials said, and moving all of the offices out of other town-owned buildings doesn’t create adequate savings to afford more space at 690 Patriots Road, said Selectman Doug Morrison. The one-year extension was offered on the condition that the town will begin negotiations for a long-term lease in February 2014, with a decision by May 1 ahead of the expiration of the lease next June. Town officials have discussed moving into the vacated East Templeton Elementary School, but Annual Town Meeting voters have twice rejected appropriating funds toward needed improvements to the building. The Advisory Board recently voted to recommend that special town meeting voters be presented with options for the school building, which is town owned. Ahead of giving unanimous approval to the one-year lease extension for 690 Patriots Road, selectmen stated that East Templeton Elementary School is a valuable asset. “East Templeton is a really good asset that we do own,” Mr. Morrison said. “We need to utilize this asset. I’m not convinced we could get in within a year — we have no plan we have no funding — but we have to keep it in mind. They’re extending this agreement, but if we stay another year there are going to be increases.” In other business, the selectmen accepted approximately $2,700 in financial relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the blizzard in February. Town Administrator Jeffrey Ritter also announced that per changes in the final state budget, the town’s Chapter 90 highway aid allocation was reduced by $150,000 compared to the $342,945 he said had been pledged.