Town Strikes Deal to Save Barn at Joppa Hill Farm

The deal has been years in the making but if everything goes as planned the historic barn at Joppa Hill Farm may live to fight another day.

This week, the town of Bedford and officials at the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (EFJH) struck a deal that – with strict conditions – will preserve the barn for future generations.

Town Manager Jessie Levine said she, the town's attorney and three members of the Town Council, including Chairman Bill Dermody, met with representatives from the farm on Monday, Jan. 14, and came to a verbal agreement to refurbish the barn. Farm representatives have until Friday, Jan. 18, to sign the agreement (Click to the right to read the full agreement, which is public record).

The town has agreed to remove asbestos from the ceiling tiles at a cost of more than $30,000. EFJH, in turn, will come up with the funding to have the barn refurbished and structurally repaired.

Before the town invests money into the barn, Levine said EFJH representatives have agreed to produce the requisite finances and plans.

"Everything goes by timeline and if all goes according to plan, construction on the barn will be completed by July 1," said Levine. "It goes without saying that the town doesn't want to spend $30,000 or $40,000 if they aren't going to be able to come up with the funding to do the work."

Some details, she added, still must be worked out. In addition to meeting the schedule that's been laid out, it must also be determined if the barn will be used strictly for agriculture business or if it will be used for other purposes, such as education, in which case the requirements for permitting will be more comprehensive. This determination will be made by the Town’s building code officials based on information submitted to them by EFJH.

In addition, farm representatives have also agreed to terminate an agreement that allows Benedikt Dairy to use the property. Levine said she believes the relationship is a breach of the current lease, though she noted the town is willing to renegotiate the lease, which may permit areas of the farm to be subleased in the future.

Board members at the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill plan to meet this weekend to discuss the current situation and agreement. Until that time, they'll will release no statement or comment, said EFJH Chairman Michael J. Scanlon.

Timeline

A look back at the history of the property shows that, in 2001, the town purchased 312 acres of land off Joppa Hill Road for $3.6 million. Bedford sold 120 acres to Amherst and subsequently leased another 35 acres to the Lakewood Educational Farm, which eventually turned the lease over to the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill.

Roughly six years later, several safety and electrical code concerns involving the farm's barn began to arise following a routine liability-risk management inspection in February of 2007.

Later that year, Town Manager Russ Marcoux sent a memo to the EFJH raising life safety concerns. Fire Chief Scott Wiggin was included in the communication. Electrical concerns were addressed at the time, but structural issues remained.

Three years later, in September of 2010, EFJH revealed financial difficulties to the Bedford Town Council and requested assistance in maintaining the farm's facilities. In October of that same year a Green Environmental report identified and recommended the removal of asbestos in the barn's ceiling panels at a cost of $120,000 for demolition of the barn and $40,000 for assets abatement.

An additional inspection by Castagna Consulting Group, LLC, in December of 2010 stated that while no area of the barn was in imminent danger of failure, continued neglect would create a building "beyond repair within 2-3 years."

A back and forth ensued between EFJH and the town, including attorneys for both parties and, in February of 2012, the two sides appeared on the verge of a deal that included a five-year time line for repair at an estimated cost of $180,000 which the town was asked to split with EFJH fundraising efforts.

Primex, Bedford's insurance provider, conducted an inspection in March of 2012 and concluded that "conditions at the Educational Farm are poor," and that "though not imminent, partial roof truss failure could occur at any time … If a truss or two were to fail simultaneously, there is a possibility the entire structure could collapse." Several other safety, fire code and health concerns were also identified in the Primex report.

An April follow-up letter by Castagna suggested the barn stated: "… it is unlikely that the building can be salvaged economically in its present condition and should be replaced." Chief Wiggin concurred with the report's assessment of the situation, and a third report, released in May by Trexler Engineering, backed up the previous two.

Acting town manager Crystal Dionne continued to push negotiations with EFJH   – with no signed agreement resulting from her efforts – through Jessie Levine's taking over as Bedford Town Manager in September. That month, EFJH asked SW&C Engineering to perform another evaluation of the barn, and SW&C Engineering sent a letter to EFJH stating that local failure has already occurred in portions of the structure and that repair/upgrade may be the most expensive option. At the Town’s insistence, the barn was closed to the public in October but continues to be used by EFJH.

After more back-and-forth between the two sides, Levine announced at a Dec. 12 Town Council meeting that an agreement appeared imminent. The Council agreed to delay action until the agreement could be reviewed in more detail.

Deadlines for a signed agreement or response weren't met, however, and Levine said she was forced to deliver an ultimatum on Jan. 4. Three days later she received a signed copy of the Dec. agreement postmarked Jan. 5.

On Monday, Jan. 14, Levine, the town's attorney and three town councilors met with representatives of the farm and reached a verbal agreement, which was put into writing. EFHJ has until Friday, Jan. 18, to sign the agreement.