Claremont
The city-owned former First Universalist Church, which sits between the fire department and library, has been vacant for several years and is used today only for storage by the city. The land beneath the building was deeded to the Universalist Church in 1972, according to the resolution approved on Wednesday night, and at the time, the city placed covenants that restricted the use to a church or nonprofit. The city reacquired the land and building in 1989.
The resolution approved by the council noted that the building does not meet state or federal codes for public use and “is not readily adaptable for use by the city.”
The 8,500-square-foot building sits on a little more than a quarter acre and is assessed at $241,000.
“This broadens the opportunities of how the facility can be used,” Mayor Charlene Lovett said regarding the removal of the covenants. “Hopefully this will start the process for a better use for that building.”
Another restriction, which the city’s attorney Jane Taylor said can’t be removed, is that the bell in the tower must remain city-owned.
Councilor Nick Koloski said that although selling the building might be a long way off, it might be worth getting a general idea of how much it will cost to remove the bell. Otherwise, he worried that the city would have to unload the building for $1 and then have to spend $50,000 to remove the bell. It was later suggested that having the new owner remove the bell could be a stipulation of any sale.
The next step is to develop requests for proposals and see what interest there might be.
Resident Bernie Folta wondered if the council’s action meant the library or Claremont Historical Society, both in need of more space, could not consider expanding into the former church. However, the council made it clear it would consider any proposed use.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
