Brookline Town Meeting Night 2: Oak Street Condos Can Be Sold

BROOKLINE, MA— Despite some pushback from Town Meeting members in favor of holding onto them, Night 2 of the Spring Town Meeting began with Town Meeting members voting to allow the Select Board to sell three condos the town bought on Oak Street next to the Baldwin School last year thinking it would be building a school there. That didn't work out.

"This town does have a few budget issues," said Neil Wishinksy of the advisory committee. "The town doesn't have a need for this property and it doesn't fit into any strategic plan."

Select Board member John VanScoyoc called the property a "dead weight."

For the last two hours of the meeting the 148 voting members of the legislative body started to discuss the Town's budget, the main event for the spring town meeting.

"This year, allocating money in a way that is both responsive to priorities and fiscally responsible has been painfully difficult," said Mike Sandman, who chairs the Advisory Committee, Brookline's financial board.

This year's budget assumes a $12.2 million shortfall.

"There's still plenty of uncertainty about the fall,"said Interim Superintendent Ben Lummis, who outlined that actual staff reductions have been minimal, despite earlier pink slips that had been sent out. "All but 10 have been rescinded," he said, adding another 20 paraprofessionals lost their jobs because of state-mandated smaller class sizes.

Three BEEP teachers have had their full-time status reduced, and three kindergarten teachers have lost their positions, but offered new positions in other schools, he said.

Tuesday, the first night of the four-night meeting of Brookline's legislative body finished with few noticeable hitches and some 90 percent of the Town's 140-member body participating. It was an attendance Town Meeting Moderator called "unprecedented."

The Spring Warrant originally included more than 40 warrant articles before more than a dozen were deferred to the November Town Meeting.

Still, the meeting appears set to last four days.

Tuesday night the discussion largely centered on what to do about the former Newbury College property. The articles include proposing a special zoning district in Fisher Hill, that would allow Welltower, the developer, to create a senior living community on a portion of the old Newbury College campus. In the end, Town Meeting gave the green light to allow the select board to acquire the western portion of the property for $14.8 million, provided an override to get that funding passes the voters at large.

And speaking of money: The legislative body won't discuss the town's FY21 budget and adding another $32 million to the high school expansion and renovation project - or proposed cuts to the Brookline Police Department budget until Thursday.

The tentative schedule:

• Tuesday, the legislative body reviewed routine "housekeeping" articles and 1-15.
• Wednesday Town Meeting will address Articles 16, 18, 19, and 25. And start on the budget.
• On Thursday Town Meeting is set to review to the budget, including the controversial items.

See the Town Meeting files here and here: Brookline Town Meeting.

Coming up:

Article 16 would authorize the Select Board to sell the three condos at 15-19 Oak St, that the town bought last year in anticipation of renovating and rebuilding the Baldwin School at an adjacent property, and to avoid having to pay interest on a loan it used to purchase the property.

• Vote: Passes 198 in favor 33 against 2 abstaining

Article 18 - 19 would amend bylaws to establish an affordable housing trust fund, reduce the terms of the housing advisory board and stagger them, increase the number of advisory board members.

• Voted together: passes 224 in favor, 0 against, 3 abstaining

Article 25 would authorize the select board to petition to reallocate the number of liquor licenses in Washington Square to Brookline Village and Coolidge Corner.

• Vote: Passes 223 in favor, 4 against, 8 abstaining

Budget Up next.

Watch the meeting live: