Details ironed out for 67 Main St. lease

SHARON — Sharon taxpayers will be asked at a town meeting Feb. 22 to approve a new lease for the town-owned building at 67 Main St.For Marshall Miles and Tri-State Public Communications, Inc., the tenants in the space, that vote won’t come a minute too soon.Tri-State is the nonprofit entity that owns radio stations WHDD AM and FM, which has its studio and offices at 67 Main St. At the selectmen’s meeting Feb. 5, Miles (who is a principal of Tri-State), expressed displeasure that the lease (which expires this March) has not yet been renewed. According to the contract, Miles said, the lease is supposed to be renewed six months before it expires. That way, if it is not renewed, the station has time to find a new studio before it must leave the building. According to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, broadcasters need FCC approval, which can take months to secure, before moving their physical location.At a meeting last October, the town agreed to renew Tri-State’s lease for three more years. Basic terms of the new lease were agreed upon at that time.At the Feb. 5 selectmen’s meeting, Miles asked the board to hold a special meeting within one week to work out the final details so a lease could be drawn up by the attorneys and signed in a timely manner.Miles said, “I am worried that we will not have a new lease before the current one expires.”Selectman Meg Szalewicz made a motion to hold a special meeting and the other board members approved it.On Thursday, Feb. 7, the selectmen met with Miles, his business partner Jill Goodman and the lawyers for both sides to discuss the lease. Attorney Judy Dixon represents the town of Sharon, Attorney Amy Schuchat represented Tri-State.The two attorneys had conferred earlier, yet two points were unresolved.Schuchat wanted the same 10-day deadline that the town has. That is, the lease says if the tenants do not pay rent within such period when due, or perform tasks they are obliged to do, such as snow plowing, minor painting, et cetera, there can be consequences.Schuchat wanted the same deadline for the town in cases of nonperformance, for example if the town fails to make a repair required under the lease terms within 10 days.Dixon said that might prove a hardship for the town as some of those expenditures might be large (such as roof work or replacing windows) and might need Board of Finance or town meeting approval. Because it is municipal work, larger projects would also have to be put out for bids.After discussion, a suggestion by Szalewicz was accepted by both parties. The town agreed to assess problems within 10 business days of being made aware of them, and provide Tri-State with a timetable for completion of the project.The current lease says that Tri-State may sublet unused space at 67 Main St., but only to nonprofit organizations. The renegotiated lease will permit Tri-State to sublet to anyone.The renegotiated lease will be brought to a special town meeting on Friday, Feb. 22, for approval (see story, this page).