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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-03-29 ad Hoc Haven Street Task Force Minutes1 2 3 4 5 6 I COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS 7 8 TOWN OF READING 9 10 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11 25 HAVEN STREET SALE 12 TASK FORCE 1.3 MEETING MINUTES 14 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15 16 Wednesday, March 29, 1995 17 230 Ash Street Reading, Massachusetts 18 Commence: 7:37 p.m. Pages: 1 to 70 19 Reporter: Tracy D. Helms 20 21 22 DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. Professional Shorthand Reporters 23 59 Temple Place Boston, Massachusetts 02111 24- (617) 542-0039 DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 PRESENT: NAME Philip Pacino, as Chairman Dan Ensminger Fred Van Magness Mollie Ziegler Hartness Bartlett William Brown Bobbie Botticelli James Blomley 2 AFFILIATION Reading Municipal Light Department Selectmen FinCom Board of Assessors CAB Citizen representative Business representative RMLD DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 P R O C E E D I N G S MR. PACINO: I think it might be a t good idea for everyone to introduce themselves since we have a few new people now. MR. ENSMINGER: I'm Dan Ensminger from the Board of Selectmen. MR. PACINO: Phil Pacino representing the Light Department. MS. ZIEGLER: Mollie Ziegler, Board of Assessors. MR. BROWN: Bill Brown, citizen at large. MR. BARTLETT: Bart Bartlett, Advisory _Board. MR. PACINO: Jim Blomley is representing the department. (Discussion off record) MR. PACINO: This basically from what I can see is I'll kind of try to break it down the summary into two items here. Basically they talked about the bid, my handwriting is terrible, I know, being not less than 80 percent. I think we pretty much all agreed, we all heard that. And on DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 4 the second item was the commercially market, whatever that quite means. We're going to have to decide tonight. MS. ZIEGLER: To use a firm that 5 6 7 i 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 is MR. PACING: I don't know if that was I don't know quite how that was left. I mean, how members interpreted that. MS. ZIEGLER: They want us to go out and hire somebody to market it for us. MR. BARTLETT: I'm not sure I got that. My impression - that was certainly brought up. I got the impression, yes, there should be an aggressive market being in the final and I believe it was left up in the air. MR. BROWN: I got that too. MR. ENSMINGER: FinCom was most definitive in that direction but other boards less so MR. PACING: FinCom was definitely MR. ENSMINGER: Yeah. MS. ZIEGLER: FinCom or the whole board? MR. ENSMINGER: Just one person on I believe the whole DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 board. MR. PACING: It was their board about a professional commercial professional hire. I don't think that others were really quite that specific. MS. ZIEGLER: The question is is there anybody in this area that in the northeast that can do it, I mean, just this part of Boston? MR. PACINO: That's a question I think that's what we have to decide. MR. BARTLETT: Plenty of people qualify. I should say plenty there are people that qualify. The question in my mind is the size and type of property, what type of person are you going to attract to aggressively. market? You're not talking much about well, you can't broker it anyhow I guess. I guess it's going to be by contract. You're not talking MS. ZIEGLER: Did you ever go out to professional people on the dump? MR. ENSMINGER: We did not. There may have been I think there was a broker involved with Walmart who did actually find a property for them, but he wasn't working for us. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 MR. BARTLETT: Which by the way I wouldn't consider a much more attractive property, a much more to try to broker something like that than this. MR. BROWN: The state's hiring a professional broker for the old Waltham Hospital project. So, again, it's a lot bigger piece of property. MR. BARTLETT: I imagine it's got potential. MR. BROWN: Sure. Could we hit MR. BARTLETT: Is it fair to ask Jim what -would --you-consider as to how you would go about attempting _to market this? MR. BLOMLEY: Well, in order to hire a firm you have to send out an RFP. You have to go through the bid process. MR. BARTLETT: Would you see any alternative except there is no other avenues to aggressively market this. MR. BLOMLEY: We felt that we covered those bases with the advertisement in the four local newspapers over four weeks each and then the Central Register for the state which are the requirements DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 7 r, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 under the statute; newspapers. So we advertise it in th MR. Middlesex Realtors MR. bid to them. MR. MR. MR. MR. not that I'm aware MS. here from the Cent MR them specifically, of the ads. and we did well with outside can cover the area. We did not e Globe or the Herald. BROWN: What about the Eastern Association up here, Jim? BLOMLEY: We sent a copy of the BROWN: To them, yeah. BLOMLEY: Yes. BROWN: Nobody came forward or BROMLEY: Not to my knowledge, of . ZIEGLER: Weren't these people rat Register? BL_OMLE-Y : ....the - I didn't ask but I know it was from the one MS. ZIEGLER: Okay. MR. BLOMLEY: They didn't say specifically which one. We had a firm a funeral home from Medford, and they had picked it up. The Globe. picked it up in the Suburban News the Herald, I'm sorry, and they called to see if we wanted to advertise; but it was too late by the time DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 they had received it. So it did it did get around. The notices I know did get picked up by a lot of people. We had there was a fair amount of interest. It just there were no replies to the proposals. And when we went out the second time, we sent it to everybody that had picked up documents the first time so that we covered all of those individuals again, and then there were additions to that also. MR. ENSMINGER: My own sense if you do that again and also put it into Banker and Tradesmen and maybe New England Real Estate Trade Journal I think you've covered all the grounds. Let's stay the building is what it is in the market. If there is someone out there, a willing buyer, I think you will find them through those media. There may not be a willing buyer at the price we think we want to sell it for. That may be the problem. That's why we are debating, number one. (Fred Van Magness enters meeting) (Discussion off record) MR. PACINO: We kind of put up on the board kind of a quick summary as to what some of us DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 felt the last meeting said. That's where we stand right now at the present time. Basically, as I see it, if we focus on the documents that are in front of us, the motion that would be under Article 17, that seems to cover item number one. I'm in the McGregor & Shea memo. It's the third page. Jim, do you have copies for Fred? MR. VAN MAGNESS: Do you have any more copies? MR. BLOMLEY: Yes, I'll bring them over. MR. VAN MAGNESS: That's okay, I need the -exercise MR. PACING: Basically as I see it here, I mean, the motion under 17 would cover item number one, if not less than 80 percent of the appraised value. As it looks like it's being proposed in here, then we have an instructional motion in addition to that that would instruct us to engage in an extensive marketing program. Before we go off and discuss what an extensive marketing program is does anybody have problems with this approach? MR. ENSMINGER: Whose idea was the DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 10 1 instructional motion? 2 MR. PACINO: Jim, whose idea was the 3 instructional motion? 4 MR. BLOMLEY: That was left with 5 Peter and Ted Cohen. 6 MS. ZIEGLER: It's a sense of the 7 meeting probab ly. 8 MR. PACINO: That's what I'm saying. 9 Are we at this point in the right direction here 10 before we go o ff? 11 MR. BARTLETT: Let' s take them one at 12 a time. 13 MR. ENSMINGER : Who would offer 14 this 15 MR. PACINO: Well, I would assume, I 16 don't know wha t night this i s goin g to come up, this 17 is a problem. 18 MR. ENSMINGER : And you could bring 19 it up, go with 17. I'm sure Paul would let you do 20 that. 21 MR. PACINO: Right, unfortunately 22 MS. ZIEGLER: You g ot a problem with 23 being there? 24 MR. PACINO: I have a problem with DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 11 the first two nights of town meeting being there. MR. ENSMINGER: Oh. MR. PACING: My schedule is rather packed these days. MS. ZIEGLER: I have a problem with the second night. MR. PACING: What could be done I could what we did the last time I the general manager was present and he had a cellular telephone and when it came time, I was called. We got close, I was called. I think we probably may do the same thing again because I think I should address the motion, Article 17. Is there any problem with what we__hav.e_ there first? MR. ENSMINGER: The appraised value is the determination made in November of '94, is that our definition of appraised value. Does that apply? We're updating that to a new value. MR. PACINO: The sense that I have is the value that's out there already on the street. MS. ZIEGLER: 450. MR. BROWN: 450, yeah. MR. ENSMINGER: Do we want to include that after the appraised value, the DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 MS. ZIEGLER: No. MR. ENSMINGER: So people know what we're talking about? MR. PACING: That's an interesting point. MS. ZIEGLER: Well, I guess we don't because if we get somebody to market it for us, they might feel we need another appraised value. We don't want to lock ourselves into the first one. He might say, hey, I think you're way off. I think you ought to get another opinion. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Six months have gone by, that could be a reality. The market may be changing signific=antly out there. We may not want to go to that expense but MS. ZIEGLER: We might have to in order to get a person a decent company to do the marketing for us. MR. BARTLETT: Wouldn't this motion apply, it's the appraised value as of the date of this notice, which is the November appraised value. MR. PACINO: Should we actually MR. ENSMINGER: If I were a town meeting member, I would want to know that. What is DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 your is the number you're talking about? MR. BARTLETT: To me the article says it, but you're right. Whether you would want to spell it out I think you would be on pretty weak grounds to attempt to go out for subsequent appraisal after a motion like this is passed. MR. ENSMINGER: Yeah. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Well, I mean, if you want to fool around with it, put the dollar value in there, you know, you have 450,000, you could figure out 80 percent which is what 360,000. MR. ENSMINGER: I would leave the words in. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Put the gross apprai_s_a1-_in there. MR. BARTLETT: I assume this has come from town counsel? MR. BLOMLEY: Yes. MS. ZIEGLER: I would try to sell at the appraisal and if you need a new appraisal, we'll get it. If you don't, if things are steady, we won't have to. I don't want to be stuck to 80 percent of 450 if things have changed since then. MR. ENSMINGER: That's fine. If it's DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES,`INC. 14 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 -14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 a rising market. If it's a falling market, somebody could use it adversely. MR. BARTLETT: I think that's why you're going with the 80 percent. You have some flexibility with the existing appraisal. MR. ENSMINGER: That's what I thought. MR. BARTLETT: If you want near appraisal, this is a completely wrong fixing of the article. MR. BROWN: Dan, it's written in the background in the article as 450,000. So, I mean, it's c+3vered on that basis. MR. ENSMINGER: All right. MR. PACINO=: Shouldn't there be further clarification in the article? As it now stands, this is in the motion here. MR. ENSMINGER: I can't see Ted objecting to it. I would guess the issue wasn't raised with him. That's why it's not there. MS. ZIEGLER: I'd leave it this way unless somebody wants to put it in there on town meeting. MR. BROWN: I think the background is DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13- 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 in the warrant. MR. ENSMINGER: I'm if it's clear enough in that, I don't have a problem. MR. BROWN: The thing I'm afraid of if you lock it in, we come back around again for another appraisal (Discussion off record) (Bobbie Botticelli enters meeting) MR. VAN MAGNESS: The question you have is an issue and whether town meeting is willing to go along with something that is somewhat obscure I guess what is the word for it. Because you don't defn-e what the appraised value is. There is a lot--of assumptions around what that is. Some people may be concerned about what they're actually getting for this. MR. PACINO: Before we get too far, for the benefit of our secretary, this is Bobbie Botticelli, who is representing the business community. MS. BOTTICELLI: How are you? MR. PACINO: I think you know everybody, Bobbie. MS. BOTTICELLI: I do. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 16 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 MR. VAN MAGNESS: Let me show you this. MS. BOTTICELLI: Okay. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Where we are. MR. BARTLETT: You obviously can't speak for your town meeting, but I don't see it's obscure. It's the value today and boy, if that's stated at the town meeting, I think you've got to follow. It's the extent follow at town meeting. I don't really MR. PACINO: From that meeting I got the intent that the idea was not to go out for another appraisal. MR. BARTLETT-:-- That's right. MR--BROWN: That's right. MR. PACINO: That's very clear. I think we've got to consider adding some wording here. The appraised value as of MR. BARTLETT: You could add MR. PACINO: Whatever date the last appraisal is. MR. BARTLETT: I guess the it's well taken. MR. PACINO: You could add of the DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 17 whatever the date is November 1994 appraised value. MR. BARTLETT: I don't have any problem with that. You could go for another appraisal once that article passes. MR. VAN MAGNESS: No, I would go along with what you're suggesting, putting in the date of the appraisal. MR. BARTLETT: Of the November MR. PACING: Right. MR. BARTLETT: I move this motion be amended to read that the capitalized words be amended to read for an amount not less than 80 percent of the November MS. ZIEGLER: 1994. MR. BARTLETT: There is a date on it, isn't there, November something? MR. ENSMINGER: Whatever date it is. MR. PACINO: Why don't we say MR. BARTLETT: We can get the proper percent, the date November 1994, appraised value. MR. ENSMINGER: I'll second. MR. PACINO: Moved and seconded to add the words November 1994, appraised value. MR. BARTLETT: In between of the and DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 18 appraised value yeah , . 2 t MR. PACING: I assume that motion i 3 , s subject to legal review. 4 MR. BARTLETT: Subject to legal 5 review, subject to approval of town counsel. 6 MR. ENSMINGER: Second that . 7 MR. PACING: Moved and seconded . Any 8 further discussion? Y 9 MR. VAN MAGNESS: Just 10 one second. MR. PACINO: No problem. Take _ 11 your time. 12 (Pause) 13 ' MR. PACINO: All set? Bobbie 14 , are You all set.? 15 MS. BOTTICELLI: Yes I 16 am. ' MR. BROWN: That's 17 MR. BARTLETT: No, between the 18 appraised value so it 19 reads of the November 1994 appraised value. 20 MR. BROWN: Thank you. 21 MR. ENSMINGER: Both Places 22 . MR. PACINO: Any further discussio ? 23 n All those in favor say I. 24 (Everyone says I) DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 19 1 MR. ENSMINGER: And the raise of 2 hands. 3 MR. PACINO: Opposed? One opposed. 4 We have six in favor, one opposed. Motion carries. 5 (Discussion off record) 6 MR. PACINO: Okay. Let's go on to 7 the instructional motion. This is the second. 8 MR. VAN MAGNESS: Do you have two 9 versions of this in this package or are they both 10 the same? 11 MR. PACING: There was the first 12 version was what Ted drew up and on the McGregor & 13 Shea, and thenthe second version is what Rubin and 14 Rudman who is the general counsel" for Reading Light 15 Department reviewed it and made some changes. 16 MR. VAN MAGNESS: So if you look at 17 the second one, you see both versions because of the 18 inserts and strike outs, right? 19 MR. PACING: Right. 20 MR. BARTLETT: And the major changes 21 and one place you're directed and the other place 22 you're requested or Yeah, requested. 23 MR. VAN MAGNESS: Who's going to make 24 this instructional motion? What's the intent? Who DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 20 1 is pushing this? 2 MR. PACING: Well, the intent is to 3 try to as item number two up on the board there, f 4 what we talked about, the commercially marketing 5 this. This is the second half of what we have been ! 6 i instructed to do at that meeting. 7 MR. VAN MAGNESS: But I guess why 8 does it even need to be in an instructional motion 9 at town meeting? I would like to understand the 10 need for this motion before working on the motion. 11 MR. PACINO: Okay. The need is 12 really just to set it in place to show this is what 13 we intend to do. 14 MR. VAN MAGNESS: Who feels we need 15 to do that? 16 MR. PACING: Well, that's what the 17 department and Peter came up with from the meeting. 18 We I wish Jim was here because he's got a better 19 answer than I do. I don't know where he went to. 20 MS. ZIEGLER: I think he went to look 21 up the date of the appraisal. 22 MR. BARTLETT: Yes, I think he went 23 to look up the date. 24 MS. ZIEGLER: I feel that that was a DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 21 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 sense of the meeting that we do this; and I guess they want to have it clear at town meeting, this is what we're going to do or suppose to do. MR. BARTLETT: The only point I raised earlier I think before you arrived I feel this motion is a little strong for what the majority consensus of that meeting was. It was a general consensus there should be marketing, but we should go to a professional national firm. I think if, in fact, that view was held at all, it was held by perhaps a very small portion of that meeting. MR-BROWN: - I---agree. MR. PACINO Well, it was very definite FinCom felt there should be some -sort of professional person involved here. Others were more general. MS. ZIEGLER: Was th opinion at FinCom, Fred? MR. VAN MAGNESS: It common opinion of FinCom to try and aggressive marketing posture rather existing process of solicitation of requests only. at everybody's was a fairly exercise a more than the bids and MS. ZIEGLER: By using a firm? DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 22 F E E 9 1C 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 MR. VAN MAGNESS: Yeah. Some commercial or a number of commercial real estate firms or business firms that could, in fact, help to market this and, you know, a lot of them are in Reading or Boston. I mean, you know, there is a whole host of people that could deal with this thing. MR. BARTLETT: When you say firms or host of people, who pays? MS. ZIEGLER: You can make the buyer pay. It depends how your contract is written. MR. VAN MAGNESS: It's going to come outof some type of proc.eeds_ depending_ on how you set up the terms and conditions of the contract, but generally speaking I mean, Bobbie, you're the expert on this side of the equation here. MS. BOTTICELLI: But you're absolutely right. When you say it's going to come out of the same pocket because the buyer's broker comes to us and says, we'll the house is on for 200. We'll give you 190,000 and we'll pay the commission. Give us 200, the seller pays the commission. Guess what? It's the same figure. MR. BARTLETT: I guess my point is DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1.2 13 14 1'S 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 23 this in saying a national firm which I'm reading as we're going to broker it which means we're hiring a marketing firm to broker this for us, what you're suggesting I think is, as I understand you, is that we contact local real estate people. MR. VAN MAGNESS: No. I mean, if I would suggest the brokerage I deal in property sales in my business, and I have brokers that are contacting me all the time to enter into agreements with us to sell commercial or industrial property. MR. BARTLETT: I think I understand, but u-1_timately this must be sold under the code which binds us, it's going to be to bid. All we're looking for, I would assume, is a marketing person to encourage somebody or some group of people to bid, could be any number of people they're encouraging to bid; therefore, we're going to have to pay that marketing person under a contract. It's not a true broker arrangement. MR. VAN MAGNESS: I wasn't clear as to whether we were absolutely bound by the bidding laws on this. I think there was some question as to whether we could, in fact, go out and hire a firm to market the property. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 24 MR. BARTLETT: Now you're raising a whole new question under 17. MR. PACING: Jim, do you have an answer on that? MR. BARTLETT: Article 17, number one. MR. BLOMLEY: Under the Uniform Procurement Act you would have to you would have to go out for bid. MR. ENSMINGER: Is there a minimum amount below which you don't need to bid for any level? MR. BLOMLEY: It's relative to the property. So the $10_,000 limit-really _ doesn't -come into play. But a question that has not been answered as far as the light department is concerned, it was my understanding that the light department as the light department could go out and hire somebody. The question arose because it's because we're acting under the Uniform Procurement Act presently, that would we stay consistent with that, with that act. MR. PACINO: Jim, while you were out there was a question, where did this instructional DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 motion come from? What's the source of this and why dick this come forward is one of the questions that was asked while you were out of the room? MR. BLOMLEY: Okay. When we had the meeting on Monday, Peter was to get in touch with Ted Cohen, and Ted Cohen was to converse with Rubin & Rudman; and that is the result of Ted's correspondence to Rubin & Rudman, that's the answer back to Reading Light. MR. ENSMINGER: I thought the only issue before the attorneys is the amended language to th_e motion, not I don't recall any discussion nor do I_-_see any in the minutes of the instructional motion. I'm not sure where that came from. Is that something that staff came up with? MR. BLOMLEY: No. That's from the attorneys. MR. ENSMINGER: The attorneys came up with it? MR. BLOMLEY: Yes. MR. PACINO: This was from Peter? Was this from Peter or from Len putting this together? This was this was just Ted Cohen? MR. BLOMLEY: That was from Peter and DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 1 1 l 1. 1. 1 1! 2! 2: 2: 2. 24 26 1 Ted Cohen, and then it was to come back to Rubin & 2 Rudman. I jus t received that tonight on the fax, 3 but that was a response a reply from our general 4 counsel. And I don't know whether Ted Cohen has 5 seen that. I cannot answer that. 6 MR. ENSMINGER: Well, I assume he did 7 since we got a fax from McGregor & Shea. 3 MR. BLOMLEY: No. The one from Rubin a & Rudman. MR. ENSMINGER: Oh, that one. L MR. BLOMLEY: The response, I don't I know if Ted Cohen has seen that. 3 MR. ENSMINGER: I say whatever they T wan it to say it_'_s only _instructional I don't i think that would be a problem. i MR. BARTLETT: See, we're assuming i then that the town manager asked something like like that from town counsel. MR. BLOMLEY: That was a result of Monday's meeting. MS. BOTTICELLI: Phil, may I ask something? MR. PACING: Sure. Go ahead. MS. BOTTICELLI: I'm just trying to DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 27 1 get myself up to par. You mentioned something, Jim, 2 that was a little bit interesting actually, that do 3 we actually have to go to bid? The town has to go 4 to bid, but does the light board have to offer it 5 out to bid? Because if you do hire a company that 6 does commercial real estate, I have found in my 7 experience that if you get it on paper and you get 8 to the table, you can work it to make the numbers 9 work; and if you have to keep going to bid, perhaps 10 you're not going to get someone who will come up to 11 the figure you need. But if you can sit and 12 negotiate with them, you _co_uld get _it up. 13 Now, are you are you saying that the 14 board could -hire someone, but the town can't or no 15 one can? 16 MR. PACINO: The town, as I 17 understand it, is subject to the Uniform Procurement 18 Act. 19 MR. BLOMLEY: That's correct. 20 MS. BOTTICELLI: Right. 21 MR. PACINO: The light department is 22 not. Now both the town and the board have to sign 23 off because in order to be clear title on that 24 you want to take it from there, Jim? DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 28 1 MR. BLOMLEY: And in order to remain 2 consistent with the town you would stay with the 3 Uniform Procurement Act. 4 MS. BOTTICELLI: So you would stay. 5 MR. BLOMLEY: So you would not be 6 able to have a commissioned broker. What you would 7 have is an RFP, a request for proposals. That's a 8 little different than a bid that goes out and 9 solicits professional services for marketing the 10 property; and then you would market it under a 11 contract, but in all cases the property will have to 12 still be bid again. So there will be an RFP to 13 select a marketing firm or, an individual, once 14 that's done then the_:pr_op.erty will go out for rebid 15 again. 16 MS. BOTTICELLI: Talk about the paper 17 chase. Now it sounds like you're going into two 18 you have to advertise for one then advertise for the 19 other. 20 MR. BLOMLEY: That is correct. 21 MS. BOTTICELLI: That's a delay. 22 MR. BLOMLEY: That's spelled out 23 specifically in the Uniform Procurement Act. 24 There's a format or a procedure to follow, and DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 29 1 that's the procedu re that we have been following; 2 and that's just an other step. 3 MR. PACING: Is there a way, Jim, 4 to if the board decided to go out and not do the 5 RFP, is there a wa y to do it or is it RFP or RFQ? I 6 wrote down here so meone is it RFP or RFQ? 7 MR. BLOMLEY: RFP. 8 MR. PACINO: RFP. 9 MS. ZIEGLER: What was the Q motion 10 at the meeting? 11 MR. ENSMINGER: That's more or less 12 if you've got arou nd rules set and look for quotes, 1-3 the s-pec-if3cations 14 MR. BLOMLEY: I'm not familiar with 15 the RFQ. We as a light department -use -a request for 16 proposal procedure just to stay uniform. I'm not 17 saying that we're required to do that. It's just 18 a it keeps us a ll uniform as to how we request 19 proposals. 20 MR. PACINO: Let me ask a question. 21 Are we hired to 22 MS. ZIEGLER: Hunneman. 23 MR. PACING: What's the name of the 24 fellow up there we use for North Reading, Dana, Mr. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 30 1 Dana? Was that under the RFP? 2 MR. BLOMLEY: That's a different set 3 of circumstances because that wasn't under the 4 Uniform Procurement Act. 5 MR. PACINO: Could we apply something 6 like that? Could the board do something like that 7 in this in this situation? 8 MR. BLOMLEY: To my knowledge we 9 don't have that answer directly. I'm not clear that 10 that question has gone to the general counsel in 11 that form. I honestly don't know. 42 MR. PACING: Bill 13 MR BROWN It feels to me again with 14 this instructional motion town meeting if this 15 passes town meeting is going to tie our hands 16 again. This is the way I feel about it. Maybe we 17 should allow the finance committee is the one 18 that really feels strongly for them let them make 19 it. We can argue or defend it on town floor, 20 whatever 21 MR. VAN MAGNESS: You know, I haven't 22 heard that the finance committee is looking for the 23 instructional motion. I mean, if they decide they 24 want to, like any town meeting member, they can pop DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 31 1 one up just like anybody else; but I don't see any ' 2 passionate need to lay this out on the table. 3 MR. ENSMINGER: I would agree. 4 MS. BOTTICELLI: I do too. 5 MR. BARTLETT: I do too. If in fact 6 when needed at town meeting this could be cut right 7 in half and respond to the needs, you move that the 8 Reading Municipal Light Board be requested to engage 9 an extensive marketing program to identify parties 10 who might be interested in responding to future 11 requests for proposals relating to the sale of the 12 property at 25 Haven Street, period. How they do 13 it 14 MR. ENSMINGER: Right. 15 MR. BARTLETT: And that should answer 16 town meeting, but I just question why any 17 instructional motion is needed. Certainly the 18 intent is clear as to what should be done to get rid 19 of this property. 20 MR. ENSMINGER: I think at the 21 presentation of Article 17 we should get into what 22 the plan is. 23 MR. PACINO: I think what I'm hearing 24 is that there should be some sort of report that the DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 32 1 task force presents to town meeting. 2 MR. ENSMINGER: I think that would be 3 sufficient in lieu of this. 4 MR. BARTLETT: Definitely, no 5 commitment as to how and when or whatever hiring 6 firms or whatever aggressively market is. 7 MR. ENSMINGER: We know what we need 8 to do. 9 MR. PACINO: All right. So somebody 10 will probably get up and make an instructional 11 motion anyway. I can see it now. 12 MR. VAN MAGNESS: The intent was to 1-3 --deal-with the last article and get a modification to 14 it, and I think we have done that based on the vote 15 tonight. 16 MR. PACING: Mm-hmm. 17 MR. VAN MAGNESS: I'm willing to let 18 it sit right there. 19 MR. BARTLETT: It would seem when the 20 amendment for Article 17 is brought up, basically 21 this is all going to be mentioned anyhow. We plan 22 to aggressively market this property. 23 MR. PACINO: That's my next question, 24 how do we define aggressively market the property? DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 33 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1.3 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 That's MR. BARTLETT: I think that's up to the parties doing it. I think they got the sense of what needs to be done. They know what's within the action and whatnot and what they can do. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Are we limited let's say this article passes town meeting. MR. BARTLETT: Yeah. MR. VAN MAGNESS: And we immediately begin the rebidding process again. We get back into that circus. Are we prevented from making a mailing of information to the top 25 commercial property dealers or is there anything in the what you say, we can't send that out. I mean, I think we ought to try. I mean, I'd just as soon get a little brochure that has a picture of the place or some description and, you know, maybe it would cost us 200 or $300 to make something up. I don't know, but I think we need to take a more aggressive approach other than just plopping it into the trade publications, a couple of bidding documents. Let's go out and let's try and attract some interest. And if these commercial firms want to come in and try and represent a potential bidder DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 or buyer, I mean, they can work out a fee arrangement with that person. MS. ZIEGLER: Yeah, but I got the feeling from the meeting the other night we should hire somebody specifically to do this. MR. VAN MAGNESS: If we do that, we're going to add another two months to the cycle. MS. BOTTICELLI: Absolutely. MR. ENSMINGER: This was not coming originally from anyone except FinCom, and I'm not sure if they went out and said hire someone, did they? They said professional. MR. VAN MAGNESS: No. They thought it should be marketed more aggressively because the finance committee is interested in seeing that the RMLD ratepayers get the credit back against the indebtedness; and FinCom is interested in this property becoming a viable tax producing entity on the town's tax rolls, and the sooner that happens, the better. That's where the finance committee is at. And we have essentially been in two bidding processes now. We've had two bids that would have met this minimum, and from the same DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 35 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 1.8 19 20 21 22 23 24 party, and the bid has gone down each time. And we haven't been able to talk to that person and to try and develop a reasonable package. MR. PACING: We couldn't even get it on the table under the restrictions we're under. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Right, and I think that's the whole intent of saying to town meeting we need some flexibility; and I think as we go out with the bidding process, we essentially use the resource of the RMLD to put a package a bid, you know, there was the bidder's package of information. Maybewe need to put a little three-folded brochure, together, spend 250 bucks and mail that out to 200 firms and get -som-e--ai=de publication. And that's more or less a clerical job, with a nice cover letter from the Board or Commissioners. MR. BARTLETT: I don't think to hire someone even enters into it. MS. BOTTICELLI: I don't either. The drawback there is that 80 percent of the appraised value. Let's say it's 360; and if a broker comes in with a client, the client is going to have to pay 360 plus. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Right. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 36 1 MS. BOTTICELLI: The client would say 2 why am I going to come in with this broker. So I 3 don't think any wise client is going to come with a 4 broker. He knows what he can pay for it. I think 5 you're kind of wasting time. 26 MS. ZIEGLER: But we tried it the 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 l~ 1 21 2. 2: 2: 7 other way. S MR. BARTLETT: And we had, as pointed 9 out, a bid that met.these new specifications. 9 MS. BOTTICELLI: That's right. That 1 was a grea t bid. That should have never been able 2 to walk be cause your hands were tied. Your hands 3 were tied absolutely. I MR. ENSM_INGER: -Page seven of the 5 minutes, t his will summarize the position of the i different boards. The task force used the terms 7 look into new marketing procedures for the 3 property. RMLD said the property should be a marketed. Board of Selectmen recommended additional marketing. FinCom said it should be professionally L marketed. Only the town manager recommended a commercial marketing expert be used. That probably tells you where that came from. I don't think this is that was the consensus of the groups, maybe an DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 37 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1.3 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 extrapolation of what he thought he heard. MR. PACING: So basically we're talking about really coming up with some sort of brochure so far and do advertising. MR. VAN MAGNESS: I mean, if the Sunday Globe MR. ENSMINGER: Yeah, that's not a bad place. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Could you put a picture of the building? I don't know what advertising is. MS BOTTICELLI: It would be to have - a ._picture-, about tha s -big is about $1,200. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Is it, in the Globe? Okay. MS. BOTTICELLI: Very expensive. MR. BARTLETT: For a small fee as to drafting up a brochure or something like you said I think that's internal. MS. BOTTICELLI: See, I think, call me Pollyanna, but I think once this goes back out there and the price has come down, and it has come down, when you say not less than 80 percent, it's going to sell because that's where it belonged in DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 38 the first place for price. So I think you'll see 2 all those perked up buyers that didn't come forward 3 with the high price. 4 I know just from people who have come to 5 me not having anything to do with this board, being 6 in the business I know it's going to sell there. So 7 I think there is a lot of anxiety over nothing. I 8 think you should just get going on it because the 9 market has turned around, by the way, in the last 10 month. 11 MR. BROWN: I've got the feeling I 12 think all this could not actually take place until 1.3 after J u.l y _l:_-, 14 MS. Z IEGLER: That's rig,ht 15 MR. BROWN: I think that is only 16 budgetary. Are we not at the same town meeting 17 voting on items for the present here? 18 MR. ENSMINGER: Yes. 19 MS. BOTTICELLI: What can't take 20 place, the sale, start advertising or 21 MR. BROWN: No, because of a town 22 budget. My interpretation is we could not start any 23 business until July 1, and I was talking strictly on 24 the budget. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 39 1 1 1 1 11! 1( 2( 2: 2< 2: 24 1 MR. ENSMINGER: This is coming out of 2 RMLD's pocket. 3 MR. BROWN: I was particularly 4 thinking about budget. 5 MR. ENSMINGER: No, I think MR. PACING: I think you could start 7 at that point. 3 (Dis cussion off record. Everyone speaking a at o nce.) MR. VAN MAGNESS: Can I make a 1 point.? There is nothing to prevent us from 2 rebidding this, ,,--property tomorrow. 3 MR'. BROWN: That's right. MR. PACING: That's right. i MS. ZIEGLER: We can't put the 80 i percent on it. MR. PACINO: This group has that I power. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Can you go out and 1 rebid and ask for a request to come back at the time when legally it could come back in under the new bidding process. MR. BARTLETT: If, in fact, what you're saying is DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 MS. BOTTICELLI: Mollie made a point though, 80 percent is a point. MS. ZIEGLER: We can make it five days after sine die of town meeting. MS. BOTTICELLI: Which would be who knows. MS. ZIEGLER: How long do we have? (Discussion off record. Everyone speaking at once.) MR. VAN MAGNESS: You can wait for the town meeting to readjourn and wait to rebid this thing, with time delays we're going to be right square -int-o the 4th of July. MR. BARTLETT: What's to say they can't arbitrarily put their minimums in the specs? MS. ZIEGLER: We don't have to. Just rebid it. MR. ENSMINGER: Unless the reconsideration is in writing at the next meeting. There is no possibility of reconsideration. The only other way of turning it over is the issue of referendum, almost unheard of for something like this. I can't or haven't heard of it all being uncontroversial the community. I think with very DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 41 1 little risk you're able to go forward after the vote 2 after it even elapsed and there is no consideration 3 filed. 4 MS. ZIEGLER: What's the bid time? 5 MR. ENSMINGER: Talk t o your counsel 6 about that. 7 MR. BLOMLEY: We have to advertise 8 before we can actually put it on the street. It has 9 to be in the Central Register two wee ks prior to 10 that, so that takes up a month. 11 MR. ENSMINGER: Right. Yeah. Can 12 that b e fast-tracked, then just yank it if it's not 13 going to happen? 14 - MR. BLOMLEY: Could yo u yank it, 15 yes. 16 MR. ENSMINGER: Let's get it in. 17 MR. VAN MAGNESS: Let' s do it. 18 MR. BLOMLEY: The bid itself isn't 19 going to change other than the dates, I mean, other 20 than t he dates. 21 MS. ZIEGLER: We don't have to say it 22 has to be a minimum of 80 percent of the appraised 23 value, do we? 24 MR. BLOMLEY: That's n ot part of the DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 42 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 bid. MS. ZIEGLER: We can go out without any, we're looking for bids. MR. BLOMLEY: Yes. MS. ZIEGLER: Okay. MR. BARTLETT: So, in essence, you can start the process tonight. MR. VAN MAGNESS: That's what I said, go. MR. BLOMLEY: Yeah, I mean it won't MR. BARTLETT: We'll give you until morning. (Discussion off record) MR. BARTLETT: There is nothing under the present article precluding it from going out to bid is what I'm saying. MR. BLOMLEY: No, but you have to have it in the Central Register two weeks in advance. Then you have to have it on the street four weeks after that time before you could even accept the bids. (Discussion off record. Everyone speaking at once.) DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 43 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 MS. ZIEGLER: So we've got to give it a May 20, or something like that, deadline from today. Okay. MR. BARTLETT: At your earliest, yeah. MS. ZIEGLER: Town meeting should be sine die ten days before then. MR. VAN MAGNESS: I make a motion that the task force direct the RMLD to begin the process to rebid the property forthwith. MS. BOTTICELLI: Second. MR. PACING: It's been moved and seconded. Discussion? What if town meeting does not go along with what we're putting up there, what happens then? MR. ENSMINGER: You want to amend that? MS. ZIEGLER: We can always have a meeting. MR. VAN MAGNESS: If town meeting doesn't go along with this article? MS. ZIEGLER: We quit. MR. VAN MAGNESS: We might plan on rebidding again anyway. What are you going to do? DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 44 1 We just ca n't sit there and sle ep. We have to be 2 successful in this . 3 MS. BOTTICELLI: And I guess, again, I I wouldn't expect town meeting not to go along with 5 it. They don't wa nt to sit and waste time either. 5 MS. ZIEGLER: Th ey want the appraised 7 price. 3 MR. VAN MAGNESS: They don't know a what they really w ant. MS. BOTTICELLI: At what value, at 1 what cost do they want it? It' s not going to 2 happen. MR._ EN_SMINGER: We're_ giving it 1 1 1 1 l 1+ 1. 1! 21 2: 2: 2; 24 I I away. i MS. BOTTICELLI: Because, see, what i happens is property has gotten shelf-warmed at the 7 other at the original absolutely, originally 3 it would have gotten a better price. Now it's gone second time around. MS. ZIEGLER: We've already gone twice. This will be the third time. MS. BOTTICELLI: What's wrong with i it? MR. ENSMINGER: Some history in town, DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 45 25 years to the community center, ten years to the Pearl Street School. We've still got them or we still had them. MS. ZIEGLER: Get the history. MR. ENSMINGER: This will be the first property we sold below appraised value though. I will point out although that keeps coming up, if you haven't sold a single one below what appraisal said they were worth MS. BOTTICELLI: Appraised value isn't worth what they are worth. There are no comps Imean, even for my own building they had to go to Arlington and Lexington to get comps. for me for my own building. There is nothing out there. MR. PACINO: Jim, let me ask you a question. If this motion passes, what instruction do you take or what are you going to do there with this right away? What happens next? MR. BLOMLEY: The only thing that happens now is we redate the documents, we have the existing documents. So there is no be no change other than the dates. Reread it just to make sure there isn't something we're missing; and then we would send it to the Central Register, and it's two DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 46 weeks before that gets published. It could be three weeks. You have to have it in. See, it wouldn't go now until Tuesday, Tuesday is the cutoff date because it has to be in that Wednesday, then two weeks from that date it gets published. MR. PACING: We would do we have a legal requirement to put the 80 percent in anyplace? MR. ENSMINGER: I don't think so. MR. BLOMLEY: To my knowledge, no. MR. ENSMINGER: Check with your counsel. MR. BLOMLEY: I'll see if there is anything in the document that references it. I don't believe there is. MR. PACINO: Okay. MR. ENSMINGER: It wouldn't be to our advantage to put that in, I don't think. If we can leave it out, let's leave it out. MS. ZIEGLER: We can't put it in yet. MR. ENSMINGER: True. MR. BLOMLEY: I don't believe the other one is in there either. MS. ZIEGLER: Now will you send out DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 47 1 information to the top commercial real estate agents 2 at the same time? 3 MR. BLOMLEY: I'll discuss that with 4 Len. I don't know what firm you would suggest 5 printing up the doc uments, so I would have to 6 discuss that with h im. 7 MS. ZIEGLER: Do we go ahead and 8 start a brochure? 9 MR. PACING: We still haven't 10 resolved the issue of the budget 11 MS. BOTTICELLI: Right. I will tell 12, you about a broker 1`3 MR. PACINO - or who is going to 14 pay. I don't think we really resolved those issues. 15 MR. VAN MAGNESS: What was that? 16 MR. PACINO: The issues are out there 17 regarding the budge t, do the brochure. 18 MR. VAN MAGNESS: What budget? 19 MR. PACINO: To go forward and do a 20= brochure advertisin g. 21 MR. VAN MAGNESS: It comes out of the 22 net proceeds of the sale. 23 MR. PACINO: Who's going to pay? 24 MR. VAN MAGNESS: Who's going to DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 48 pay? It comes out of net proceeds of the sale, like all the costs of this thing comes out of the net proceeds of the sale. MR. ENSMINGER: It falls under the net sale clause. MR. VAN MAGNESS: It's in the motion. MR. PACINO: Before we get to that discussion let's discuss the motion first. Let's go over the motion. Any further discussion? All those in favor say I, raise your right hand. All those opposed. Seven, zero, that motion passes. Now let's discuss the budget and who should be paid MS. ZIEGLER: Well, who was paid so far, the light department, right? MR. BLOMLEY: On relative to the MS. ZIEGLER: Same. MR. BLOMLEY: The documents, the documents themselves, what has taken place so far MR. BROWN: Right. MR. BLOMLEY: has been paid by the light department. We hold that in a separate account. I haven't been directed to do anything DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 49 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12- 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 other than that. We just hold that in an account so we know what the expenses are. MR. VAN MAGNESS: I mean, I don't know there is MR. BLOMLEY: Relative to a brochure or something like that I have to go to Len because it's a budget item, and we don't have that in the budget. MR. VAN MAGNESS: We may not want to create a brochure. I want to get information in the hands of the people. I want to do it as quickly as --possible; and if a brochure is going to be costly and take three weeks, four weeks to do professionally, let's hold off on it. Just an idea. MS. BOTTICELLI: If we get the info, I have s desktop publisher on staff. She is incredible what she does for us. We never go to printing, she does it all for us. If you get me or if we work up what we're looking for, I can get her to do the plate for us. MS. ZIEGLER: We can do it here I think. MS. BOTTICELLI: I mean, she just does DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 50 MS. ZIEGLER: You could do that here too, right, desk publishing? MR. BLOMLEY: We don't do that in-house. MS. BOTTICELLI: I do it in-house so MR. VAN MAGNESS: Not with the right words either. I mean, this would be the right words. MS. BOTTICELLI: So a picture would be great and I can scan that right in in color. I've got all that capability. MR. PACINO: What kind of cost are we looking at for this, the brochures and the advertising? MS. BOTTICELLI: Well, if you went to a printer, the minimum you can have done are 500; and it would probably cost you in color on a if you're going to do a brochure, the brochure probably 1.65 a piece. So it's not cheap. Through the computer through my system maybe 50 cents a piece. It's a totally different cost. And you don't need 500. See, there's the difference, whether you've get ten or 500. When you DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 51 want ten, you have to do 500. With me we'll do if we want 25, you could do 25. MR. BARTLETT: Sounds like we should appoint a subcommittee to work with Len and Jim. MS. BOTTICELLI: To what? MR. BARTLETT: Work with Len and Jim. MR. VAN MAGNESS: That sounds like a nice offer. That would be that would help us get this thing out to market at a minimal cost. MS. ZIEGLER: Even if we just get a camera ready and take it to Staples and have them run off MS. BOTTICELLI: That's right. In color they do 35 cents a sheet or something. So we can get it all camera ready. And my secretary will gladly work with you. She is, like I said, second to none in doing this. (Discussion off record) MR. VAN MAGNESS: I think we ought to take that approach and let's do it. MR. BROWN: With thanks. MR. VAN MAGNESS: With thanks. MR. PACING: With thanks. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Absolutely. But, DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 52 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 you know, in terms of the cost or any of the costs that have accrued on this project, the town is receiving no benefit other than future streams of funds. All the money of this project is going against the indebtedness of this building, building it; and as far as I'm concerned, the net proceeds and that's what we talked about even in the instructional motion, the net proceeds which would cover legal costs, passing the paper cost, whatever document preparation cost, the whole issue of that is covered under the issue of net proceeds. So I mean, I that's where I see the funds going. MS. BOTTICELLI: Right. There is a cost of doing business in any sale. So it should go from the proceeds, you're right, Fred. MR. BARTLETT: Do you feel with the sense of the meeting the other night and the sense of the meeting tonight there is any motion needed to expend money or do you feel the Reading Light can just take it upon itself to expend this? MR. BLOMLEY: I have to discuss that with Len. I mean, I'm just keeping track of the cost not how they are being MR. BARTLETT: We should move to DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 53 1 ( authorize expenditures. 2 MR. PACINO: See what the budget 3 should be. See, we could instruct the department to 4 go out and put some thing together on this. And also 5 if the question to somebody's going to get up and 6 ask how much is thi s going to cost at town meeting. 7 MS. BOTTICELLI: What is the budget 8 of advertising when it goes out to bid, who is 9 paying for that for the ads? 10 MR. ENSMINGER: RMLD. 11 MR. VAN MAGNESS: RMLD is paying the 12 cash out right now subject to being funded. The 13 funding for this is going to come from the proceeds 14 of the sale. 15 MS. BOTTI`CELL`I': That's exactly my - - 16 point. 17 MR. VAN MAGNESS: Against the net 18 proceeds. 19 MS. BOTTICELLI: That's exactly my 20 point. If it's goi ng to happen that way, I 21 understand town mee ting is concerned. They don't 22 want -to be handed a $600 bill. 23 MR. PACINO: The general manager is 24 going to know if he is going to come up with a $600 DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 54 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 bill. MR. VAN MAGNESS: If town meeting hears it's not going to come out of the town budget, it's a short discussion. MS. ZIEGLER: It's part of the cost of the sale of the building. MS. BOTTICELLI: I mean, is the cost of all this MR. BARTLETT: You want a motion on it? MR. ENSMINGER: I don't think we need it.. It's up to RMLD. MR. BARTLETT Do you think we need r' 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 it? MR. BLOMLEY: I will discuss that. The newspaper ads themselves are extremely expensive. When you're doing all four newspapers and four weeks, it's $80 an ad per paper. MR. ENSMINGER: Handling it the way you handled it before, I assume that was the board. MR. BLOMLEY: I'm thinking adding on to going beyond what we what we're talking about. MR. BARTLETT: I think the consensus here is the cost of a simple but effective brochure DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 55 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 is more than justified. MR. PACINO: What about the advertising? MR. BARTLETT: essential now, that has to be MR. PACING: I marketing it through the real Globe and Herald. MR. ENSMINGER: Advertising is done. n terms of actually estate pages in the New England Real Estate Journal. MS. ZIEGLER: What papers was it in before? MR. BLOMLEY: We put it in the Lyn-nfie_1_d Villager, Reading Chronicle, Wilmington Town Crier, North Reading Transcript, Suburban News, and the statutory requirement in the Central Register. We mailed it to the Northeast Realtors in Reading. And I believe that was MR. VAN MAGNESS: Bobbie, you know. MS. BOTTICELLI: Every one of those was a waste. MR. VAN MAGNESS: There you go. MS. BOTTICELLI: People don't pick up the Chronicle or Transcript to buy. That is only DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 56 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 to as we call it in the trade only to appease the seller. MR. PACINO: Those were the legal notices. MR. BLOMLEY: Those were the legal notices, yes. MS. BOTTICELLI: Okay. All right. MR. PACINO: We're talking about going beyond that now. MS. BOTTICELLI: Do one in the commercial section of the Globe. Don't advertise in any of the others beyond yyour legal requirements; and the turnar-ound and the payback on it is totally different. And also=you -can throw it into the commercial section of the Herald, which is so cheap. It's very very inexpensive. It's almost _a shame not to do it there. Even if you only got one or two responses, it's well worth it. MR. VAN MAGNESS: You're going to open up to a tremendous market potential versus the local communities, and how many in the local communities are even going to look to buy the RMLD. MS. BOTTICELLI: They're not. They don't even look to buy a house in those papers. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 57 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 i 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 t MR. VAN MAGNESS: There you go. MR. PACING: So I think what I'm hearing is to go forward from the direction of the committee here, we're looking to do a brochure and looking to advertise by going to the commercial section of the Globe and Herald. I think that's the message. It's got to be carried back to Len as to what the budget should be to those motions. MS. ZIEGLER: And plus the legal requirements. MR. PACINO: I think it's really a sense of the board to direct the department to go back and look at that because I'm sure the general manager will want to have to come back to t-he _ commission with some sort of budget and say this is what I'm proposing to do. MR. BARTLETT: This can all be worked on while it's in the Central Register anyhow because it isn't something that is going to be advertised in the Globe tomorrow, it can't be, about what three weeks? MS. BOTTICELLI: I could also fax it to every office in the board. Just throw it into my machine and let it fax through to them. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 58 1 MR. BLOMLEY: I don't want to be 2 misleading, what I'm talking about the Central 3 Register. We could send that document out right 4 now. What the legal requirement is is that it be 5 advertised in the Central Register for four 6 consecutive weeks before the bid is opened. 7 MR. BARTLETT: Okay. 8 MR. BLOMLEY: We have to get it in. 9 It takes six weeks in that process time seven 10 because we have to send it in ahead of time. But 11 that doesn't preclude us from putting the documents 12 out on the street or doing any of the other 13 newspaper ads as long as the opening date is four 14 weeks after it's 15 MR. VAN MAGNESS: Started. 16 MR. BLOMLEY: had a month of 17 advertising in the Register. 18 MS. ZIEGLER: It's eight weeks then. 19 Four weeks after the end of the Central Register or 20 beginning? 21 MR. BLOMLEY: No, from the beginning, 22 but it takes you two weeks. 23 MS. ZIEGLER: Yeah. So you got at 24 least six weeks. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 59 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1.2 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 MR. BLOMLEY: Yes. So the opening date can't be until after that six-week period, but you can still put the documents out on the street. MR. PACINO: Bill, go ahead. MR. BROWN: If we go up with all the legal requirements first or the advertising to both the Globe and Herald, get some response, then maybe we'll have time to put out the brochure afterwards. If you get some response out of that then, you know, you got some response; otherwise forget about, you know MR. VAN MAGNESS: I'm all for moving - down parallel paths. Let's do both at the same time. MR. BROWN: Okay. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Only because this whole process is being taken sequentially. It's task oriented. Let's do it A, B, C all together and move it. MS. ZIEGLER: Then your bid date can be shorter then too. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Right. (Discussion off record) MR. ENSMINGER: To whom will it be DORIS M. JONES &-ASSOCIATES, INC. 60 1 mailed, do we have any sense? 2 MS. BOTTICELLI: It should be 3 commercial, your companies that do strictly 4 commercial. But I could also, like I said, not do a 5 brochure to them but take it, fax it off to the 6 board, ever yone on the board, making them fully 7 aware that there would be a buyer brokering it so 8 MR. VAN MAGNESS: I mean, there are 9 companies. 10 MS. ZIEGLER: We did send it to the 11 Middlesex b oard. 12 MS. BOTTICELLI: You sent it to Union 13 --Street, it stayed there and didn't go anywhere. I 14 didn't rece ive it. 15 MS. ZIEGLER: It didn't go to the 16 listings? 17 MS. BOTTICELLI: No. No. You can't 18 get in ther e unless you're a member of the board. 19 The town is not a member of the MBR. You can't 20 post, that was called a FSBO, For Sale By Owner. 21 You can't p ost a FSBO in the board. You have to be 22 a member of it; but as a member of it, I could send 23 it out and say, hey, in case anybody knows of anyone 24 interested to let them know about it. But I'm a DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 1.8 19 20 21 22 23 24 61 member, I could send it out. You can't put it in there though so MR. PACINO: Jim. MR. BLOMLEY: In the bid documents there is a legal a one-page legal notice which is the legal requirement for the bid. I mean, that can be mailed without mailing the entire document. That's you know, that's the actual legal ad for the property. MR. VAN MAGNESS: I like Bobbie's idea of helping us with the brochure. Let's get it out in the marketing mainstream there through the Eastern Middlesex. There are companies like Hunneman, there is Whittier Associates, Whittier Partners in Boston. MS. BOTTICELLI: There is a bunch in there. MR. VAN MAGNESS: There's a hundred of them we could hit. MR. BLOMLEY: I think that document should accompany that. MR. VAN MAGNESS: That's fine. MR. BLOMLEY: Okay. MS. ZIEGLER: You mean the ad, the DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 62 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 legal ad? MR. BLOMLEY: Yes. MR. VAN MAGNESS: that. I would agree with MS. ZIEGLER: Part of the document and part of the brochure it could be. MS. BOTTICELLI: Right, it can go right in the envelope, attach it to it or put it on the back actually. MS. ZIEGLER: Because that gives the date the bids are to be in writing and the requirements. MR BLOMLEY: We include that with everything, that is the legal that is the legal notice, the legal requirements. We give that with -a document regardless. MS. BOTTICELLI: How big is it? MR. BLOMLEY: Eight and a half by eleven, one sheet. MS. BOTTICELLI: One sheet, that should go in if it's a legal requirement. MR. BLOMLEY: It has the legal notice, the board members and general manager, that's that's what we send to the newspapers. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 63 1 MS. BOTTICELLI: We don't want to get 2 caught doing someth ing we're not supposed to do. 3 MR. PACINO: I think what we're 4 saying is start the legal process now, get that 5 rolling, and then w e start preparing a budget to do 6 the advertising and the brochure. That's the sense 7 I'm getting. 8 MR. BARTLETT: I think we go beyond 9 the budget and what ever appears reasonable just 10 start it. 11 MR. VAN MAGNESS: Absolutely. I'd 12 like to see a draft brochure in the next few weeks, 13 you know subject .t-o _ 14 MS. BOTTICELLI: I_ could have it 15 done° you know, by early next week if I have all the 16 information. 17 MR. BARTLETT: Talking not the legal 18 ad, the other ad an d the brochures should be going 19 simultaneously? 20 MS. BOTTICELLI: You're right. 21 MR. BARTLETT: No reason to wait for 22 a budget. 23 MS. BOTTICELLI: Because if they call 24 the ad to state call for further information or DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 _13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 64 brochure or whatever it is you want to say in this, so when they call you can then mail it out to them. MR. VAN MAGNESS: Right. That's a good idea. MR. BARTLETT: So the whole thing is out on the street. So at the end of that seven, eight weeks everyone has had it long enough. Let's get the bids open. MR. PACINO: The only thing that has to be done, I'm sure the general manager would want to make sure the commission has approval of the commission to go forward. The commission ismeeting next Monday night MR. VAN MAGNESS: Perfect. MR. PACINO: So we can get - put the budget together. Can you put the budget together, Jim? MR. BLOMLEY: I can do that. We will we don't have any authorization beyond what we have done. So I'll put that all together and have that ready. MR. PACINO: Have that ready for the meeting on Monday night to discuss, so make sure the commission says yeah or nay, and we can go forward DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 65 1 and start the legal process and the brochure at the 2 same time. 3 MR. BROWN: Good. 4 MR. BARTLETT: Sounds good. 5 MR. PACINO: Okay. Anything else? 6 MR. ENSMINGER: We have a consensus 7 on no instructional motion? 8 MR. PACING: Yes, I think it was 9 definite, no instructional motion. There would be a 10 report of myself as chairman of this commission 11 of this task force, I mean. Fred. 12 MR. VAN MAGNESS: One thing of a 13 matter of general information is that the finance 14 -committee ,member of this board will be replaced. I 15 have resigned from the finance committee effective 16 June 30, and there will be a need for a new member. 17 So that is information to know. I've enjoyed 18 working with this group. 19 MS. ZIEGLER: Maybe we would be done 20 by then. 21 MR. VAN MAGNESS: I was hopeful, but 22 I mean, I've really enjoyed everyone. This has been 23 a great working group of people. 24 MR. BROWN: We've enjoyed having DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 66 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 you. MR. PACING: In the early processes you were great. MR. VAN MAGNESS: I appreciate that. MS. BOTTICELLI: He's still here. He's not going anywhere. MR. VAN MAGNESS: I'm still around. (Discussion off record) MR. PACING: Do you want to approach the minutes? 11 MS. ZIEGLER: 12 page six. I have a correction on 13 _ MR._ PACINO: Okay. ' 14 MS-. ZIEGLER: The eighth paragraph 15 from the bottom has my name at the beginning. It's 16 the Board of Assess or's recommendation not the Task 17 Force's recommendat ion. 18 MR. PACINO: Okay. 19 MR. ENSMINGER: I have a couple. 20 MR. PACINO: Any more, Mollie? 21 MS. ZIEGLER: No. There is a couple 22 other places but I 23 MR. BLOMLEY: These are your 24 minutes. These are your minutes. f,. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 67 1 MR. PACINO: These are my minutes. 2 MR. BLOMLEY: These are for the 3 board. 4 MR. PACING: But I will make if 5 the task if any members have corrections here, I 6 will. make sure they get when the board does 7 approve t hese, they will be passed on to the board. 8 MR. ENSMINGER: We approve, I don't 9 know who does approve. RMLD. 10 MR. PACING: But if there is any 11 changes, I will pass them on. 12 _ MR. ENSMINGER: page eight, 13 MR, PACIN_O_: Okay. -J 14 MR. ENSMINGER: Mr. --E-nsminger noted, 15 it's the March 28 meeting, not April. 16 MR. PACING: Okay. 17 MR. ENSMINGER: And at the bottom the 18 Haven Str eet Task Force it should have the words 19 adjourned and not exited the meeting. 20 (Discussion off record) 21 MS. BOTTICELLI: Looks like there was 22 a major w alkout. 23 MR. BLOMLEY: The date on that 24 appraisal was November 14 is the date on the DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 68 1 I appraisal. 2 MR. ENSMINGER: 14, okay. 3 MR. BLOMLEY: Bill Brown was 4 referring to the information that was in the 5 warrant. 6 MR. BROWN: Mm-hmm. 7 MR. BLOMLEY: Everybody had a copy of 8 this. It was the one-pager we had given to Peter. 9 This is what went to the town meeting members. And 10 everybody had a copy of the packet which was the 11 backup material that went up to the town hall; and I 1`2 think all of the task force members have this also. 13 MS. ZIEGLER: That was pictures. 14 MR. BLOMLEY: This was a recap of the 15 events. 16 MR. BROWN: Okay. 17 MR. BLOMLEY: So everybody should 18 have one of these and the single. 19 MS. ZIEGLER: Does it look like 20 that? 21 MR. BLOMLEY: Yes. 22 MR. VAN MAGNESS: I don't ever 23 remember seeing that. 24 MS. ZIEGLER: I don't ever remember DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 DORIS M. JONES & ASSOCIATES, INC.