Recent Minutes from the Economic Development, Housing, and Land Use Committee on the James House (December 2007 & February 2008)
Mayor Higgins said the building was bought by the City in 1994 for a new police station, then rented to the court system. The court will move to Hatfield, a decision announced to the City only last week and without allowing the City to make a bid on the court’s larger facility. Mayor Higgins has been working cooperatively to establish an adult literacy program that includes ESL, full-time Dept. of Transitional Assistance and other such ancillary services.
Project Concept: Create an adult learning center in Downtown Northampton. The Northampton Community Education Consortium will co-locate Pioneer Valley Community and Four Year Colleges, Adult Basic Education Programs, and family support services. The Center will strengthen educational and employment opportunities and assist prospective workers, working adults, and at risk students to move along educational and career ladders to achieve greater academic and employment success.
Community Needs Served: Hampshire County may be the only county in Massachusetts without a community college. Community colleges and vocational schools in the Pioneer Valley region are not well served by public transportation, making access unachievable for many in Hampshire County. The Consortium will create a central location within Hampshire County served by public transportation where Hampshire County adults will have the opportunity to continue their education, transition to higher education, and obtain basic education or workforce development training.
Smith College has donated $20,000 to the effort, grants have come from both the State’s and Commonwealth Corporation’s Communities and Schools for Success program, popularly known as CS2 Greenfield Community College has lent a staff person. City will hire a structural engineer to assess the building. City has seven years left on the James House bond. We want to make enough money to pay that off and build a small stabilization fund. The center won’t be a moneymaker for the City but definitely would be an economic development project. Mayor Higgins plans to seek the Council’s vote of approval for a downtown adult literacy center and asked EDHLU for its recommendation. The City wants to move quickly because we now know the courts won’t remain a few more years as expected. If EDHLU supports and sponsors the project, it can move through Finance Committee expeditiously. Councilor Reckman noted that it will keep the building occupied with productive tenants over a ten-year horizon.
MOTION:
The Economic Development, Housing and Land Use Committee hereby endorses the establishment of a downtown adult literacy center in the James House.
Moved by Councilor Carney. Councilor Reckman seconded the motion.
The motion passed unanimously (Mayor Higgins, Councilors Carney, Dostal & Reckman).
2. James House Reuse
Mayor Higgins explained that despite the newspaper reports the City has not been formally notified that the Juvenile Court will leave the James House. As a point of information, as tenants they do not pay on a timely basis. Even to mothball the building costs approximately $73,000/year. She proposes to have renters pay their own utilities and the City possibly might sell them janitorial services. This money would help the City pay down the debt service it must pay until the year 2014.
Mayor Higgins followed up on her idea of a downtown adult learning center, explained at the May 7, 2007 EDHLU meeting. She sees this literacy effort as an economic development and workforce development project. Smith College has donated $20,000 to the project and we have a staffer until August as coordinator. The effort is also supported by Commonwealth Corporation’s Communities and Schools for Success program, popularly known as CS2. Other partners are UMass, Smith College, HCC, GCC, STCC, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Center for New Americans, Literacy Project, Pioneer Valley Adult Learning, Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board, Department of Transitional Assistance and our Chamber of Commerce. As a first step the City Council would vote to surplus the building. Mayor Higgins already has briefed the members of the Finance Committee, who are very comfortable with moving forward on this project. CS2 would identify one literacy agency to be the lead agency for the building’s lease. In response to Councilor Carney’s request that there be public hearings, the Mayor said the meetings would be coordinated by Finance Committee.
Councilor Richards asked if services would be provided regionally. Mayor Higgins said yes. The goal is to get students college-ready without having to take out a student loan for remedial classes. Councilor Richards: Is there data about how many Northampton residents exist to use these services? Teri: it is being collected. Mayor Higgins stated that Northampton does not have a community college, nor does she propose one, but the literacy center will provide educational opportunities so that our residents will be able to attend existing community colleges.
Councilor Narkewicz pointed out the sustainability of this project. The non-profits providing elements of these services such as Center for New Americans and the Welfare office would be able to consolidate and complement functionally as well as geographically in one building that is on an existing bus route.
Mayor Higgins added that she may involve City Veterans’ Agent Steve Connor, who is the portal for access to food stamps and welfare for veterans. CS2 is doing outreach to the jail population and will identify courthouse needs with Senator Rosenberg and Representative Kocot.
