Greater Lawrence

Community Action Council, Inc.

                           

Employment board to reconsider role as landlord.

From the Eagle-Tribune February 17, 1999  by Shona Crabtree

The Regional Employment Board's new chairman believes the organization's energies could be better spent promoting work force development rather than managing a building.

The Lower Merrimack Valley Regional Employment Board may restructure its role as landlord at the former Arlington Trust building on Essex Street at the request of its new chairman Leonard A. Wilson.

Mr. Wilson, president and chief executive officer of First Essex Bank, said the purpose of the building, to bring together nonprofit and educational organizations to provide a one-stop career and training center, has not changed.  But he believes the board's strengths lie in promoting work force development, not managing a building.

"Ownership of the building is an issue that has a lot of management responsibilities for a small staff that is already stretched," he said.   "That really isn't a role for the REB.  We don't have the building management skills."

Ownership of the four-story brick building may shift to the city of Lawrence or Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, another big tenant.  An evaluation of the building has begun, but there is no deadline for its completion, he said.  The building was donated to the board in December 1995 by Fleet Bank and has been unoccupied since then.

Mr. Wilson was elected chairman in January.

In addition, the occupants of 305 Essex St. need to have an established framework to handle common expenses and repairs when necessary, he said.

"A lot was done without having a lot of hard facts.  We did this kind of backwards," Mr. Wilson said.  "There's no such thing as a free lunch.   Buildings cost money to maintain.

He said the board needs to determine operating costs and divide the burden fairly among the tenants, which include Northern Essex Community College, the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council and the Lawrence Learning Center, an adult education group under the Lawrence School Department.

Mayor Patricia A. Dowling said the city and the Community Action Council are each considering becoming the building administrator and owner but stressed the issue was still in the discussion process.

"A major concern is what agreement and responsibilities the REB has to any parties," the mayor said.

And before any commitment, she said she wanted the building inspected by a structural engineer.  "I've been told it needs work but I don't know the specifics," she said. 

However, Mayor Dowling characterized the various entities in the building as "worthwhile projects" and said they are cooperating together to make the building and its concept work.

Under the city's lease for 31,000 square-feet, it agreed to pay all of its utilities for the first five years and spend $65,000 from the State Department of Education to renovate its space.