Selectmen Reject All Development Bids for Winslow School, Leaving Future Uncertain-September 17, 1980

The future of the former Winslow School property on Chapel Street was thrown back into question last night as the Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to reject all four development bids received for the site and abruptly disbanded the neighborhood advisory committee that had been scheduled to hold its inaugural meeting tomorrow evening.

Rejected Bids Fall Far Short of Independent Appraisals

Selectmen dismissed the incoming proposals as grossly inadequate, noting they fell well below professional valuation marks. “Christmas comes in December, not September,” remarked Selectman Walter J. Dempsey, asserting that none of the offers represented a favorable deal for the town.

The four competing proposals evaluated by the board included:

• Consolidated Development Inc.: Offered $170,000 to construct 85 housing units designated for the elderly and handicapped.
• Boen Development Corp.: Offered $129,000 to build 43 one- and two-bedroom condominiums.
• Norwood Housing Authority: Proposed utilizing the site for approximately 100 units of elderly housing but specified no purchase price.
• McNeil & Associates: Submitted a private residential development proposal with neither a purchase price nor specific building plans.

By comparison, independent appraisals prepared for selectmen in July by Boston-based Meredith & Grew pegged the market value of the four-acre parcel at $200,000 for single-family residential development and up to $500,000 for multi-family use. Dempsey advocated pivoting toward a subdivision of single- and two-family homes matching the surrounding neighborhood character, estimating the acreage could yield seven distinct house lots valued between $20,000 and $25,000 each.

Selectman John F. Kinnaly blasted the bids as “ridiculous,” stating it would be a “disservice to the town” to accept them. His remarks sparked a sharp verbal exchange with Town Manager John J. Carroll, who defended the solicitation process: “You told me to seek bids and I did. I don’t care what you do with it.”

Conversely, Selectman Mary J. Fox dissented from the board’s decision, arguing that the pricing terms were open to negotiation and warning that rejecting the bids altogether stalls progress. “At least this would get the thing off the ground,” Fox argued. Sale of the property is now indefinitely postponed until selectmen deem market conditions more favorable. The building sits on a four-acre lot and was formally closed by the school department in August after serving for five years as municipal administrative offices; it last housed school children in 1974. Currently, three classrooms remain occupied on a short-term rental lease by The Educational Cooperative.

Additional Board of Selectmen Actions

In other municipal business during last night’s session, the selectmen:

• Conferenced with the Planning Board and town counsel regarding an application by Community Development Associates of Braintree seeking a special tax assessment exemption for the proposed Queen’s Court Apartments on Wilson Street.
• Declined to support a motion by Selectman Fox calling on the Zoning Board of Appeals to justify its issuance of a special permit for the construction of the Caldor shopping center on Route 1, despite Fox expressing strong opposition due to traffic concerns and local merchant protests.
• Approved two special town meeting warrant articles asking voters to reconsider a prior vote withholding funds for municipal airport runway improvements until a binding noise abatement agreement is secured with the state.
• Granted the Democratic Town Committee use of Memorial Hall on October 2 for a scheduled public debate concerning Proposition 2 1/2.
• Convened in executive session to review ongoing litigation regarding police officer vacation time and to advance contract negotiations with the firefighters union.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger