ORANGE — Amid uncertainty over the Orange Armory’s future, the Selectboard voted overwhelmingly Wednesday against a motion to apply for a state-funded, 50% reimbursable matching grant to repair the roof, particularly because of concern over potential state requirements that might come with it.
Slectboard member Richard Sheridan made a motion suggested by the Orange Revitalization Partnership, which he chairs, to apply for a grant from the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund, a program the Massachusetts secretary of state’s website explains was established in 1984 to support the preservation of properties, landscapes and sites listed in the State Register of Historic Places. But no other members were comfortable pursuing the money and all except for Sheridan — who noted the grant application deadline is March 18 and the town has the matching funds earmarked in a roof repair account — voted against the motion.
Selectboard Chair Jane Peirce said she does not believe the town is ready for this grant. Member Andrew Smith and Vice Chair Tom Smith, who are not related, said there are too many uncertainties surrounding it.
“I do not want to rush into a proposal that focuses solely on the roof,” Andrew Smith said. “There is too much work to be done on this.”
The armory, at 135 East Main St., has long been plagued with issues. In October, the Selectboard voted unanimously to close the building and temporarily relocate the town offices based there to 62 Cheney St. Town Administrator Gabriele Voelker has told board members the armory’s basement always has water in it and the floor is covered in brown mold, “this very slippery, oozy stuff.”
She also said drenched insulation is hanging from the ceiling in the upstairs roller skating rink, and the front staircase is crumbling. Tom Smith has mentioned “a very, very strong odor that is a mixture of an oil smell and, just, dirt.”
Before members voted Wednesday, Voelker urged them to be mindful of any future requirements the grant might carry with it. She said New Salem, where she lives and serves on the Finance Committee, made this mistake with a $25,000 federal grant for the Old Academy Building in the center of town.
“And that building has cost us so much money,” she said. “Money sounds great, but sometimes it comes with strings attached.”
Alec Wade, Orange’s community development director, said he has conducted a great deal of research on the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund grant and learned there is a permanent preservation restriction that comes with receiving it. He said if the grant were accepted, the Massachusetts Historical Commission would forever be entitled to weigh in on any substantial decision pertaining to the building, “whether that’s us or a private company that operates the building.”
Wade said that while this does not directly hinder the town’s ability to sell the armory, it would reduce the pool of potential buyers. He also said this is an annual grant, so the Selectboard can revisit the idea in the future.
After the vote was taken, Sheridan mentioned every professional he’s spoken with has told him the roof problem must be addressed for the sake of the building’s structural integrity, especially with water leaking inside.
“Now, any water that may be seeping into that building or getting inside the building itself is going to freeze,” he said, adding that the results could be catastrophic and result in the building being beyond the point of repair.
Selectboard members unanimously passed a motion to have Peirce and Wade research developers who have ideas for beneficial reuse of the armory.