Bid process begins for old firehouse

SALISBURY — The Board of Selectmen approved a bidding process for buyers interested in buying the old firehouse on Route 41 (Sharon Road) at a special meeting Monday, May 23.Selectman Bob Riva did not attend the special meeting. First Selectman Curtis Rand said that Riva, a Realtor, decided to recuse himself from the entire process.The sole item on the agenda was a document with two sections: “Guidelines for Bids” and “Auction Procedures.” The document was created by the town attorney.The town will consider “qualified bids” with a submission deadline of Monday, June 13.A qualified bid will specify the purchase price; provide a 10 percent deposit of the purchase price; specify any conditions the bidder wants to put on the bid; state that the deposit will be forfeited if the bidder “fails or refuses to purchase” the property; discloses the identity of the bidder; indicates the proposed use; and indicates whether a bidder is willing to leave an offer open if the town initially selects a different offer.The document assumes a closing date of no later than Aug. 12.The town will hold an auction Thursday, June 16, at 2 p.m. at Town Hall, among the qualified bidders, who will have a chance to decide if they want to increase or modify their offers.A bid, once deemed to be qualified, is subject to approval by taxpayers at a town meeting. Voters will be able to consider more than one offer; and the selectmen might or might not recommend a particular bid to the town meeting for consideration.Rand said there have been enough expressions of interest in the former firehouse to get the process started. The property has been on the market for several months.“This seemed like the cleanest way to proceed,” Rand said.Salisbury resident Peter Oliver disagreed. “This is a relatively convoluted way to run an auction,” he said, and pointed to an apparent contradiction in the language about qualified bids.Oliver also advised making the deposit amount a standard fee rather than a percentage.Salisbury resident Mike Flint recommended that the use of the word “town” be clarified. (“The Town” recurs in sentences such as “the Town shall have the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to determine whether any bid is higher or better than any other bid.”)Flint also said he believed state statutes require a public hearing, and asked who in fact is the deed holder on the property.Rand was unsure on the former, and on the deed said the firehouse is the property of the now-dissolved fire district and the town’s attorneys are working on getting the matter straightened out now.So the board, consisting of Rand and Selectman Jim Dresser, voted to adopt the guidelines and auction procedures with changes to the language about qualified bidders and a clarification of to whom the phrase “the Town” refers (the selectmen, for example, or the the town attorney, or the voters at a town meeting).On Tuesday, Rand said the process of changing the language for clarity on the points raised at the meeting was in progress. He said the phrase “the Town” applies to the Board of Selectmen, except when it refers to the town meeting that must approve any sale.He also said the deed situation would be in hand by the time a sale is pending.“The purpose is for us to make a decision on if the offers are legitimate,” he said, adding that there have been several expressions of interest, some from local people and some from out of town, and he hopes there will be competing offers for voters at the town meeting to consider.The guidelines will be emailed to real estate agents and posted on the town’s website as soon as those changes are made.