Bethel selectmen met last week at the Fire Station, where the town office is currently located while mold mitigation work takes place at the Cole Block.  From left:  Frank DelDuca, Sarah Southam, Meryl Kelly, Michele Varuolo Cole, Town Manager Sharon Jackson, Pat McCartney.    Alison Aloisio

BETHEL — The Bethel select board last week turned down a same-day request from Wade Kavanaugh to put an item on the agenda to discuss a proposed letter of support for him to apply for a $25,000 Betterment Fund grant. Its purpose would be to study possible options for the town sharing space in the current Bethel Inn events center, which Kavanaugh is currently working to purchase.

The center is located behind the Cole Block Town Office.

Kavanaugh first approached the board on the subject in June. His idea was that if he successfully purchased the center, it could be converted to a recreation center for area youth, but also serve as usable space for the nearby town library, as well as the town office.

Kavanaugh and his wife, Beth Weisberger, also own The Gem Theater.

Last week he attended the select board meeting to ask for permission for Town Manager Sharon Jackson to sign a letter of support, written by Kavanaugh, to go with the grant application. The selectmen had received a copy of it in information packets they received prior to the meeting. But Kavanaugh was not formally on the agenda.

Deadline

He asked to be added because the deadline for the grant application is Nov. 15, and the board does not meet again before that.

Chairman Michele Cole reacted with caution, saying the board has a process to follow in making such decisions, and making one on short notice without a pre-planned agenda item did not fit with that. She also said the scope of the issue might require a town meeting decision.

The letter did not mention the $25,000 figure, but stated in part, “Our request seeks matching funds to initiate a collaborative design process, with the goal of commissioning an architect to re-imagine our three adjacent properties as a cohesive ‘campus’ that better serves the needs of our community.”

In an accompanying explanation to the board, Kavanaugh said that if awarded, “it will be up to our three organizations to raise an additional $25,000 [the match] to fully fund Phase 1 of the design.”

He said the library has provided such a letter, and that no financial commitment would be required from the town “at this stage.”

In describing Kavanaugh’s vision for a three-building complex, the letter cited “challenges” with the Cole Block building, including that 75 percent of it does not meet ADA standards and the annual town meeting and election voting must take place elsewhere. The current mold problem that has temporarily required the relocation of the Town Office was also noted.

“This project represents a unique opportunity to combine resources and better serve the Bethel Community,” the letter said. “By developing a unified vision for our municipal offices, the Bethel Library and a recreation center, we can create shared spaces that are accessible, efficient, and engaging.”

Not unanimous

Like Cole, Selectman Frank Del Duca was hesitant to discuss the issue that night.

“We’ve been presented with a complex idea,” he said, concluding he would not vote to add the item to the agenda.

Selectmen Sarah Southam and Meryl Kelly were more receptive to discussion.

Southam said she didn’t think the town would be obligated to raise the money even if the grant was approved. Kelly said if it was approved, the town could decide then whether to proceed.

Kelly then moved to put the question on the agenda. The vote was 4-1, with Del Duca opposed. Cole said the vote needed to be unanimous for approval for the same night.

Kavanaugh was asked after the meeting if he would apply for the grant in six months, when there will be another round of applications. He said he would proceed without the town as a partner.

He expressed frustration that he wasn’t able to get on the agenda to officially discuss the letter. He noted that at another point in the meeting there had been a discussion on the Bethel Airport (relating to an audit report), which he said benefited wealthy people, “but you don’t have two minutes to talk about the kids in the community? For the past two decades that I’ve been in this community there have been countless committees saying the same thing: ‘We want a recreation center for kids.’”

“I’m there as a volunteer,” he said. “All the select board had to do was allow the town manager to sign the letter saying the town is interested in looking into design possibilities for our abutting properties.”

Kavanaugh also speculated that there might not need to be an eventual financial commitment by the town, that perhaps another grant or a donor might cover the match.

“We don’t know until we have the opportunity. I’m trying to make the opportunity possible,” he said. “A big part of being successful is knowing that when opportunity knocks, you’re supposed to open the door.”

Mold update

In other business at last week’s meeting, Jackson updated the board on the mold mitigation project ongoing at the Cole Block. She said that based on the current work rate, it is hoped the Town Office can be moved back from the Fire Station the first week in December.