Belmont Selectboard agrees to put the usual $750,000 in road fund

BELMONT — Selectmen voted unanimously last night to recommend a special article on the 2015 warrant that would appropriate the usual $750,000 for the highway maintenance capital fund and not pub $600,000 of that sum toward the restoration of the Belmont Mill.

The decision was made after the backlash selectmen got from a few residents at their December 29 meeting, when people learned the plan for 2015 was to use $600,000 that would normally go to roads toward repairs for the Belmont Mill and only put $150,000 in the highway fund for this year.

"All is not lost but the ship is sinking," said Selectman Jon Pike, referring to the historic mill and the not-to-exceed $3.6-million warrant article proposed by the selectmen to renovate the historic building into town officers.

Pike made his comment last night because Budget Committee Chair Ron Mitchell's said last week that he would only support the borrowing for the Belmont Mill if all of the cost were reflected in the bond and not moved from different town accounts like road maintenance.

Town officials had anticipated that it would cost $2.65 million to fix up the mill, however that was before an additional $600,000 in masonry work and soft-costs like electrical, mechanical and furnishings were factored in.

Selectman Ron Cormier, who argued with former selectman Donna Cilley about taking money from the roads to put toward the mill, said last night he was going to have his say and them shut up about it.

"We've been dicking around with this building for 11 years," he said. "Fix it or tear it down."

He said for all of that time, he's been hearing from residents that it would be the perfect spot for town offices but now that the time is near to make that decision, a few naysayers in town will try and stop it.

Selectmen Jon Pike noted that years ago selectmen made the decision that if they were going to repair roads they were going to repair them the right way and he feels the same way about the mill.

He said that the warrant article should go to the voters. "This is what the experts — what do you want to do?" he said.

Selectman Ruth Mooney said she thinks there are more supporters for rehabilitating the mill and converting it to town offices than either Pike or Cormier think there are. She said it goes beyond the functionality of the building and she, too, has heard for 15 years that residents want to see it used as town offices. "I haven't heard any negativity," she said.

All selectmen agreed there is no point in doing it if it can't be done correctly.

Town Administrator Jeanne Beaudin reminded the board that the masonry expert told them that this repair was a 50-year fix.

Selectmen are holding a bond hearing on January 20. The Budget Committee meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Corner Meeting House to act on whether or not it will support the $3.6-million bond for the mill and the $750,000 for the highway maintenance capital fund.