At its meeting Tuesday, the city council got an update from city hall on the much-discussed response to the request for proposal on the property received in 2021.
“After reviewing the RFP process, I feel that it's in the best interest at this time to reject the current proposal that was presented back in December," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey. “Most of my decision is based on process and the fact that we've discovered there's an existing loan on the Mohawk Theater with a remaining balance of close to $52,000 in interest. I'm hopeful that we will put forth a new RFP in the next 30 to 45 days. I would like to have a couple of focus groups with the community and then craft an RFP with in conjunction with someone on the committee, the city council in joining my team to craft an RFP with exact expectations and timelines for the respondent. I hope during this process, again, we could include someone from the city council on the selection review committee, as well as a few members from the general public.”
Macksey’s predecessor, Tom Bernard, had wanted to proceed with the offer from New York developer Veselko Buntic.
“I did notify Mr. Buntic when we met last week face to face that this was going to be my decision," said Macksey. "And he was a little discouraged. But we had a great conversation and I'm hopeful that he will submit when the new process the new RFP comes out. So again, this is no reflection on Mr. Buntic and his proposal. It's solely based on process and other aspects of developing a sound RFP that will move North Adams in the best direction it can for this property.”
Bernard’s decision to pursue Buntic’s offer prompted frustration from some city leaders, as city councilor Keith Bona told WAMC in November.
“I think the price made some people's jaw drop because they're like, well, geez, the building was assessed at $450,000, and the guy’s buying it for $21,000,” said Bona.
Bernard defended the move at the time, saying it was unlikely that the theater would ever receive a bid at or above its assessed value, and that he was prioritizing the only viable route forward.
Looking ahead, Macksey told the council she wants to prioritize community engagement when it comes to the Mohawk’s future.
“Keeping in mind that we all have to realize that we can't go backwards, and that it may never be the Mohawk Theater as we knew it," said the mayor. "But we could still restore good aspects of the historic nature of that property. And of course, the marquee is very important to all of us, and that is nonnegotiable. But just really engaging the community so they don't feel left out of the process, about suggestions of things that maybe we haven't thought of, of things that we haven't discussed, but how we can help set, craft the RFP so when we get it on the council floor, nobody acts surprised as to what we're doing. So I think in February we can have two focus groups, hopefully COVID allows us to have them here at City Hall, and just talk about the Mohawk and talk about its future and what people would like to see and see what comes out.”
Macskey wants to have a new RFP in place and open for offers by May 1st, followed by a selection review.
“Hopefully by June we can be having a well-educated discussion and invite people to make public presentations and go from there," she told the council. "But this is an important part of the fabric of North Adams, and it's much different than selling a piece of land somewhere. I think it's something that we really need to take some time with. And we also need to allow the respondents an adequate amount of time to respond. And that's my feeling. So, I'd like to have this, some kind of plan by July 1st, to be quite frank.”
