BARNARD — The Selectboard and BarnArts Center for the Arts have reached an agreement on the nonprofit theater’s lease of the old fire station.
The agreement will be presented to the town at a special meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Barnard Town Hall in advance of a townwide vote in June.
“We’re supporting BarnArts. The building is in disrepair. Something needs to be done with it. If they want to do something going forward … I don’t know why we wouldn’t support it,” said Selectboard Chairman Rock Webster.
The lease, which differs from the terms voters approved at Town Meeting in March, would give BarnArts the option to renew its lease with the town for an additional 15 years after the original 15-year term is up. It would got into effect on July 1.
At Town Meeting in March, voters decided to lease the Old Fire Station to BarnArts for 15 years with an annual rent of $1.
The vote was decided by paper ballot, 66-41.
Voters rejected an amendment that would have extended the lease to 30 years.
Some voters felt that a 15-year lease was “long enough,” said Selectboard Vice Chair Richard Lancaster.
The Selectboard was still gauging residents’ interest in the project at the time of Town Meeting in March.
“To get the original vote at Town Meeting, we had to rush through the process of getting the lease together,” said Linda Treash, BarnArts’ executive director.
A residency in the old station would provide BarnArts with its first home base since its founding 14 years ago. Treash runs the organization out of her home, while performances are hosted at Fable Farm and the Barnard Town Hall.
Since the Fire Department moved to a new location eight years ago, the former station has been used to store gear for the department and a snowmobile club’s extra equipment, which would be returned to people’s homes when BarnArts begins renovations.
Under the new lease terms, BarnArts would also have the ability to demolish and rebuild the station though the new building could not be larger than the 1,600-square-foot original. Built in 1977, multiple additions have been made to the old station over the years.
“It’s possible that it will cost more to preserve the parts of the building,” making a rebuild a more affordable option, said Treash.
BarnArts plans to pay for renovations through fundraising, which will commence once the lease has been finalized.
BarnArts plans to convert two of the station’s bays into a rehearsal space, in addition to adding two public bathrooms, an office and a storage space for costumes.
Preparing the building for BarnArts to move in would involve installing new water and electrical systems, as well as making renovations to the building’s foundation.
If voters don’t accept the lease in June, “we can go back to the town” with a new lease, Lancaster said.
But, he added that the board would consider the vote’s margin in determining whether or not to continue to pursue the project.
“If it’s voted down soundly, we’ll consider it a done deal,” he said.
Marion Umpleby can be reached at mumpleby@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.
