[MassHistPres] Lease or sale of town owned building

[g.greis at rcn.com]

Hi Sally, 
We are in a similar-ish situation. We owned the historic house in which we were located, but it became insufficient for our expanded program needs - no visibility or parking, no accessibility (and could not be renovated), limited exhibit and storage space, etc. The solution for us was to sell the house (under an HNE preservation covenant) and move two other historic structures that we owned onto town land. Although we owned the structures (a farmhouse and a schoolhouse), we had to go to Town Meeting for approval to lease the land from the town. At the time, the town's lease by-law only allowed for a ten-year lease, which was much too short, so we needed a second warrant in that Town Meeting to extend the municipal lease law. We wanted 99 years, but they would only go for 30 - but both warrant articles (the lease law extension to 30 yrs, and our (renewable) lease agreement to place the buildings on the land) were approved. Our annual lease fee is $1, but by agreement we provide extensive curriculum resources in return, so its sort of a barter. We also had to put a sum in escrow against any future expenses the town might incur if we closed down and the site needed to be cleared. 



So, the lease does not have to be a deal-breaker, but you have to have a reasonable duration to make the renovation investment worth your while. You also need to have a purpose that you are reasonably certain will be valuable enough that your lease renewal is not going to be a recurring cliff-hanger. We currently provide the schools' most popular annual program, as well as extensive community and municipal engagements, and I can say with some certainty that our lease renewal in 2035 is not in any danger. But we worked hard and strategically to gain this certainty. 



What does your nonprofit want to do with the schoolhouse if the lease is obtained? Is this planned program sufficient to raise the funds for renovation and to sustain the program going forward? If you can articulate a clear plan to the town that shows that your lease of the schoolhouse is not a liability and has advantages for the community, then consider going forward with the lease negotiations. 


Gloria Greis 
Needham History Center & Museum 
www.needhamhistory.org 

https://needhamhistory.org/about/our-historic-houses/ 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Dennis De Witt" <abtdewitt at rcn.com> 
To: "sally milne" <urbanosally at gmail.com> 
Cc: "MHC MHC listserve" <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu> 
Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 2:05:32 PM 
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Lease or sale of town owned building 

Sally 

They might want to look at three longstanding non-profit lease examples in Brookline. 
— The Brookline Music School in the Kennard House on the grounds of the Lincoln School. 
— The Motor Museum in the Weld Carriage House in Larz Anderson Park 
— The Brookline Arts Center in a former fire station. 
I suspect the lease situation in each one may be a bit different 

Dennis De Witt 
Brookline 

> On Nov 16, 2020, at 8:19 PM, sally milne <urbanosally at gmail.com> wrote: 
> 
> Greetings, 
> I am writing to you from West Harwich and have sought your input many times always receiving great information . 
> We have a historic schoolhouse that the town owns and has allowed to fall into disrepair for 25 years. Nothing put forward came to fruition and yet the townspeople want it restored and put to use. The BOS are tossing around a lease or a sale and our group has formed a 501c3 and hope to secure the building. 
> If you have had success or information regarding this would you share. Part of our group wants to walk away if it’s a lease. 
> 
> Best to everyone 
> Sally Urbano 
> Individually 
> _______________________________________________ 
> MassHistPres mailing list 
> MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu 
> http://mailman.cs.umb.edu/listinfo/masshistpres 

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-- 



Gloria Polizzotti Greis, PhD 
Executive Director, Needham History Center & Museum 
1147 Central Avenue 
Needham, MA 02492 
phone/fax: 781-455-8860 / g.greis at rcn.com 
www.needhamhistory.org 
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