Lakeville's Heritage Center Gets Final Approval; Bids Due April 2

Lakeville’s Heritage Center project will officially be open to bids from construction firms beginning March 20 after the City Council on Tuesday night approved the project's final plans as well as a resolution to open bidding for the project. The approval brings the oft-debated project one step closer to becoming a reality.

The estimated $1.12 million conversion of the city’s vacant police station into a shared-use facility that would house the senior center, historical society and Yellow Ribbon organizations remains a source of fluid financial uncertainties with regard to hard costs and financing. But the City Council voted 4-1 to approve the final plans for the building and place the project up for bids despite some ongoing concerns. Mayor Mark Bellows cast the lone dissenting vote.

Council member Colleen LaBeau voted to move ahead with the bid process but expressed concerns over using park dedication funds as a source of interim financing to cover a potential $405,000 financing gap.

“I’m really hesitant,” said LaBeau. “I’ve heard way too much feedback that the park dedication fund is not the place to be borrowing from. We can move forward to approve the bid process, but we still have to figure out where the funds are coming from.”

LaBeau expressed concerns over potentially draining the park dedication fund balance for the Heritage Center project. When the project was originally put in motion last summer, it was estimated that only $88,000 in fundraising efforts would be needed to fill the planned financing gaps. With approximately $250,000 in anticipated federal grant funds out of the budget picture, that fundraising figure ballooned to $338,000.

In addition to the likely $250,000 federal fund fallout, the sale of the current senior center building will net the city an anticipated profit of only $155,000 rather than the budgeted $345,000 due to a $190,000 federal loan that must be repaid if the building is sold.

All total, that leaves a $405,000 financing gap, assuming the current building sells for the appraised value, that would potentially have to be bridged by using the park dedication fund.

As of Jan. 20, approximately $69,000 has been raised through ongoing fundraising efforts. 

LaBeau acknowledged that Steve Michaud, Lakeville’s Parks and Recreation director, had demonstrated a long history of successfully leading fundraising efforts with other city projects, but requested a full discussion of ‘what ifs’ at an upcoming work session before moving forward with awarding an actual bid for construction.

Some of those ‘what ifs’ included the potential need to replace HVAC units on the building in the short term, the possibility of the current senior center building not selling, and what happens if fundraising goals aren’t met.

The current schedule calls for a bid to be awarded by April 2 with a September completion date for the needed renovations of the vacant police station.

“I have also heard from many community members and I believe that the community is behind this project,” said council member Laurie Rieb. “I think we’ve just hit the tip of the (fundraising) iceberg, and I think when (the community) sees we are moving forward that more donations will be forthcoming. I have faith.”

Michaud agreed fundraising efforts were picking up steam and also said that in-kind donations and volunteer services could also help to significantly drive down the overall cost of the project.

The City Council will next meet for a Feb. 27 work session at the city’s water treatment facility. Discussions on alternative financing and other Heritage Center issues were being scheduled for a March work session.