Academy School Development
The Board of Selectmen have worked to bring to the public a pool of developers who are interested in purchasing and developing the Academy School building and adjacent land. It is important to remember that any decision made on the future of the building is entirely in the hands of the public and will require a vote at a Special Town Meeting and at a Referendum. In order to provide the Town with the most information so that each voter can make an informed, thoughtful, decision on the future of the building, the Board of Selectmen will provide several means to disseminate the proposal information. Hard copies of the proposals will be made available at the First Selectman’s Office and at the Library. Proposals will be available electronically by contacting the First Selectman’s Office, and linked through the Town Website. One reviewed, the public can make comments on the proposals either via the comment cards available at the First Selectman’s Office and at the Library; or, through the Website. The comment cards will provide a chance to rank each of the four proposals on a scale of 1 through 10 as well as to include additional comments for the Board of Selectmen to review. Comment cards will be collected through Friday, February 23, 2018.
The Board of Selectmen has also called the following public sessions:
Developer Workshops
Workshops are scheduled for Monday, February 12th and Tuesday, February 13th at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium at Polson Middle School. On each of these evenings, two developers will present their proposals. Developers will have 30 minutes to present and 30 minutes for a Question & Answer session. The intent of the workshops is to allow an opportunity for both the Board of Selectmen and the public to ask questions of the developers. The workshops will be recorded and available for future viewing on Madison Public Television.
Public Hearings
The initial Public Hearing is scheduled for Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium at Polson Middle School. At this meeting, the public will have the opportunity to provide input on ranking the eligible pool of developers.
The goal of the Board of Selectmen is to consider public input as well as additional input from the Planning & Zoning Commission, Economic Development Commission, the Historic District Commission, the Beach & Recreation Commission and the Water Pollution Control Authority. The Board of Selectmen will review the process as well as the various responses for input at their February 26, 2018 regular Meeting at 7:00 p.m. in Town Campus, Meeting Room A. It is the intent of the BOS to narrow the pool of candidates to two developers at this meeting. This vote will commence the due diligence period whereby the Town’s consultant will review the financial stability of the two developers.
This due diligence period may take anywhere from several weeks, to several months, to conclude. At the conclusion of the due diligence period, the Board of Selectmen intends to call another Public Hearing to seek final public input to help them select a preferred developer to move to Special Town Meeting and Referendum. From there, the Board of Selectmen will submit a Legal Notice which calls the Special Town Meeting and sets the Referendum question. The BOS will also vote to seek the approval of the Board of Finance to dispose of Town owned real estate as prescribed in the Charter. The voters of the Town of Madison will be asked to attend a Special Town Meeting and approve the referendum vote. If no quorum exists at the Special Town Meeting, the item will automatically move to a Referendum vote.