TDC closure ongoing; discussions on future of property to be held
| Reuse committee will include state, local representatives | |||||
News Staff Writer |
“I think we’re at the point now where the town is near ready to appoint a reuse committee, and we’ll move forward with working on that,” said state Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance representative Rachel Neff.
In 2008, Gov. Patrick announced plans to close four mental health facilities in the state — including the Templeton Developmental Center — by 2013 as part of a shift toward serving those with developmental issues within community settings.
Since that time, Executive Office of Health and Human Services Deputy Communications Director Julie Kaviar said the Department of Developmental Services, or DDS, and the administrators at the developmental center have been working to find new homes for residents. In 2011, there were approximately 90 individuals still residing at the center, and currently there are 41.
The facility’s full closure is anticipated by 2015.
As part of Gov. Patrick’s plan, the capital asset department has the responsibility for overseeing the property. However, the department is also charged with forming a committee comprise of town and state representatives to hold discussions and work toward determining how the state-owned land will be used in the future.
The department previously held informational public meetings with Templeton officials in 2010, and the town has maintained a Templeton Developmental Center Reuse Committee, which will be part of the state’s reuse committee.
“When they get to that point, we’ll have representation from the town’s side,” said reuse committee member Kirk Moschetti.
Aside from the DDS group homes, the developmental center property has 275 acres of agricultural land which was utilized by the center and a dairy farm.
Ms. Neff noted that DCAMM is working to provide a portion of land on what is known as Crow Hill to the town for the construction of an elementary school. The Department of Agricultural Resources has also expressed interest in the property for the purpose of leasing land for farming.
DCAMM recently reached out to the Templeton Municipal Light and Water Department, requesting that it take over and maintain the light and water infrastructure at the center.
The light commission voted to take over the electrical system, but discussion on the water infrastructure is continuing. The commission has indicated there are issues with the infrastructure that it does not want to take responsibility for fixing.
“We’ve had it in discussion, but we haven’t approved it — it’s contingent on conditions,” said Light and Water Commissioner Greg Edwards. “Those details aren’t worked out yet, but we wouldn’t be responsible for infrastructure upgrades ... It’d be beneficial to us in the long run for it to get upgraded for safety. We don’t know what will happen with that facility, whether it’s a school, a prison, manufacturing. We want be prepared for whatever it is.”
I am very happy the Water and light Commissioners decided not to get involved with fixing their water system. Let the state get involved and clean up their own mess. I know some will say then we would end up paying for it anyway, but on the state level, our impact would be much less. Leaving a portion of the land open for farming has some benefits. With all of the building in the last ten or twenty years, a lot of the fields people used for farming are gone. Selling hay is still a option, but along with that goes the costs of reseeding, fertilizing, and maintaining a hay field, so it is not all gravy. This would be a good time to get DECAMM to run lines to the Templeton sewer system. Any work that is done up there is not going to make that area smaller, my guess is that it would be a invitation to get bigger, with more buildings. Think ahead twenty or thirty years. I can not see them putting money into whatever they have for a sewer system, because I can not see any way for it to be sufficient for what they have now, or into the future. This would be a huge help to the town, if we had a sewer line to hook into, for the school we are planning to build and give the development that is planned a big boost. Sounds like a win for us. We do not have a lot of say as to what the state is going to do, but we can push for them to make changes that we can benefit from. Bev.
ReplyDeletefact: the TDC facility is installing separate sewer systems for the duplexes that are going to be built on the property. The sewer treatment plant that is there now does not meet EPA standards and it will cost millions to meet those standards. DCAMM will not run sewer lines up to TDC. A light and water department representative has been attending the monthly meetings discussing the closure and the needs, it was agreed upon months ago that the water system was not option for the templeton light and water to get involved with, the only item the light and water department is doing is upgrading the electric which is being paid for by the state.
ReplyDeleteFact: the DAR (dept of agricultural) is taking over all of the agricultural areas on the property and they putting every piece up for lease - you can find the specifications of the lease agreements on the com-pass mass website. this is a great opportunity for farmers local or not to take advantage of the fields and barns. keeping the property as farming.
Opinion: the BOS had a "visioning" committee that VW was chairperson, I noticed when she left and all committees had been reformed, this committee was not even mentioned. I would also like to make a fact that the committee that was established never even met. if they did meet, they didn't include the key people such as the facility director or DCAMM representative which is mandated by the legislative act that they be on the committee.
Opinion: this visioning committee should've met 5 years ago and started talking about the buildings that are going to be vacated - 3 of them are fully handicapped accessible, they should be talking to DCAMM, representatives from DDS and Sen. Brewer about the possibility of using one if not more for town offices - who knows maybe it would be free or minimal lease costs. but like I mentioned earlier, the sewer plant will be closed, so the town, if they used the buildings, would need to install septic systems, but in the long run, the cost of installing septic system verses the cost of leasing the building they are currently in would be paid for in less than one year. not sure why the town doesn't take advantage of this while they can. who knows if they would agree or rather approve of the town using the buildings, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask.