Agreement May Save Barn at Joppa Hill Farm

Bedford Town Officials and the board that oversees The Educational Farm at Joppa Hill may be nearing an agreement that could save the aging barn at the farm.

Last night, Bedford Town Manager Jessie Levine reported to the town council that the condition of the barn – which the town owns – is a safety hazard and that she, the town's attorney and representatives from the farm have been exploring alternatives to tearing the barn down.

According to Levine, a loose agreement had been reached that the barn would be removed at the end of the summer, but, sensing some resistance to the plan, she said that she reached out to the farm's board and asked if they'd be willing to provide another option that may allow them to maintain the failing structure.

She received an emailed response and used it, with the help of legal counsel, to craft an agreement between the two sides.

The two sides have traded modifications to that agreement and Wednesday night, Levine said they were close to an accord, though there may be still be some hangups.

Levine explained that under the current proposal, the town will spend roughly $60,000 to remove asbestos from the ceiling tiles and the farm will handle the cost and responsibility of reinforcing the barn, structurally, to meet code.

"If the agreement is successful, the town will have spent less than it would to tear down the entire barn and the educational farm will be able to shore up the barn at their expense," she said. "This gives them the opportunity to carry that through and eliminates the public safety issue."

Chairman Bill Dermody proposed tabling the discussion until the council's Jan. 9 meeting to allow councilors the proper time to disseminate the facts and figures being presented.

"I realize this kicks the can a bit down the road, but this has been around for a long time," he said. "That building is a danger and it needs to be addressed and I think there are some things in that proposed agreement we may want to discuss."

His fellow councilors agreed to add the topic to the Jan. 9 agenda.