Town may lease Odd Fellows parking lot

Staff Report

    GREENVILLE — An “unofficial” public parking area in downtown Greenville may soon become a municipal lot, thanks to action taken at the Jan. 21 selectmen’s meeting.
    The Point Group is the current owner of the gravel parking lot across from the Rod ‘N Reel Restaurant which was the previous location of an apartment complex that burned down in 2001. Before the building was converted into apartments, it was the Odd Fellows Hall, according to historic records.

Observer photo/Mike Lange

    PARKING OPTIONS — Greenville town officials are looking into leasing the former Odd Fellows lot on Pritham Avenue for additional municipal parking.

    For several years, the lot has been used for public parking “by virtue of lack of enforcement by the current or former owners,” Simko wrote in a memo to the board. However, the previous private owners have not paid for snow removal and the town ceased removing snow from this lot in 2012. “Therefore, downtown parking in the winter months diminished,” Simko wrote.
    But The Point Group has offered to lease the lot to the town for the value of its annual property taxes of $701. The town would have to assume general liability, as it does with any other municipal property.
    The Point Group requested the right to terminate the lease with 60-days’ notice in the event the owner chooses to develop the lot, or if voters fail to appropriate funds for the lease payment at the annual town meeting.
    Neither party has designated a term for the lease, but Simko recommends 10 years for an initial term. 
    Selectmen unanimously voted to approve these terms and authorize Simko to work with the town’s attorney to prepare a lease and add funds to the new municipal budget for consideration at the June annual town meeting.
    Greenville selectmen also unanimously accepted three new solid waste contracts with Moosehead Rubbish owner Sean Bolen, and directed Simko to review them with legal counsel. If all goes as planned, the board will sign them at their Feb. 4 meeting.
    Selectmen also agreed to schedule a workshop and tour of the public works garage on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 5 p.m.
    Simko and Public Works Director Mark Bernier had suggested the session so the board could review the department’s equipment and replacement plans as well as the condition of the public works garage.
    A budget meeting schedule was also approved by the board which starts with the appointment of a five-person budget committee on Feb. 18 and ending with the annual town meeting on Monday, June 1.
    Simko will present his draft of the budget on Wednesday, March 4 and workshops will be held on March 11 and 25.
    More work will be done on the municipal budget during the first half of April before selectmen meet with the Greenville School Committee to discuss the educational budget.
    Both the school committee and board of selectmen are scheduled to give final approval to their budgets in early May and a public informational meeting will be held on the entire package on Wednesday, May 20.