The property needs to be sold and returned to the tax roles. The last thing this town needs is another program that will produce little to no results. Where will this non profit get the money to fix the building? This out there proposal is not the way to go. Sell the place and be done with it. Our state has many disadvantages that can not be fixed by some non profit squating in one of our old school buildings.

Perhaps you could consider a well run day care facility with upgrades to internet/WIFI, a full library and privately run.

why don't you just buy it? this town doesn't need to be a landlord, the voters voted to sell the schools and nothing else should be done with them

These are all services that could and should be provided by the new library.

This idea would be better accepted if the economy were in a different state. Unfortunately most of the residents in this town are living in the here and now( i.e. paycheck-to-paycheck ) and I don't believe your audience will be very well received. Most of these services are already avail through various social avenues anyhow.

so JimL is you wanted the library to be built so badly i dont think you should mind the extra taxes needed to keep the schools or to do something with them. Why didnt you just build the library youself.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and feedback. A couple replies:

@Rug Doctor // Funding the rehab of the building would be a tall order, but not impossible. What would be needed is time to source the right mix of federal/state funding, grants, and (although early) capital campaigns -- the high level of which I did allude to in the post. I accept your opinion that my idea is "out there" but it is an idea nonetheless. Our community needs more people with more ideas, rather than quick fatalist retorts under the cover of an alias.

@Carie Taber + Tiverton Dad + Janet // Thanks for the constructive feedback, though, T.D., I don't think the new library (which I fully support) will come through with the state-certified industrial kitchen. Perhaps the one at Sandy Woods is enough.

@Jim L. // Perhaps like you, I'm not in a financial position to purchase the property. Personal gain is not my motivation though. Rather, it's about helping to further our community resilience across multiple fronts (economic, social, educational). I just hope we don't find ourselves with another corporate chain store staring us in the face.

The real problem with this proposal is the Town Council does not have the authority to enter in to a deal. These properties were vote on at two FTM's, and both times we said sell them. The majority voted to sell the buildings putting them back on the tax roll. If a commercial business moves on this property we will see some jobs and tax revenue.That revenue will help pay the bonds on the new schools. I would suggest you fund raise and rent a store front in the north end. There is plenty of available space cheap.

i mind the extra taxes, sell them , put them on the tax rolls , federal fireman why don't you do something fort this town? the library and the old schools are two different things maybe you don't see that

hmmm this guy seems to smart to be stoney, and i agree with wht he wants to do, but use orivate moey, not taxpayer

HEy Joe Sousa, when the next ICFAt meeting is. I want to make the meeting if I can be there. I was in local polticals back in the island and maybe should be here. I think you should post when to meat since many people like me dont favor the tcc but something stronger more taxpayer friendly. Jim L i agree with who you are and also say orivate moey like you said

Great Bill more Fed and State money to rehab the building. It will wind up being another bond for taxpayers. Our state and the feds are in no position to fund a rehab of a building for the purpose of programs that are duplicates of others that are available. Sorry Bill, you have a bad idea. This property needs to be sold so it can return to the tax rolls and pay taxes.

All I wanted was to get some broader input on the idea. Eleven comments might not be fully representative of the town, but it will do for now. I appreciate folks taking the time to contribute. Thanks.

Tiverton has a serious revenue problem . The majority of property taxes collected are from residential properties . More commercial businesses in town would help to offset the disproportional tax burden. Changes in the Zoning map are needed and recommended by our Volunteer Economic Development Committee. Non profits may offer services some people need. The fact is if taxes weren't so high they might be able to afford the things they need. Good jobs also help fund needed services or medication. We need to bring taxes in to town not non taxpaying non profits. Anyway the people have spoken. Sell the building and put them back on the tax role

Bill, I appreciate your vision. There's precious little of it from the leaders of this town. I just don't think it's a practical use for the building. I am not opposed to the services that you suggest, but as I said above, most of them could and should be part of the new library. I am also not opposed to not-for-profit use of this property, or not-for-profits in general. However I would prefer to see a cultural non-profit, which statistically have a positive economic impact, rather than a social services non-profit. I have been in Old Ranger many times and there is practically no chance that it can be rehabbed for use. It's a terrible building, and the cost of new construction per square foot tends to be cheaper than the cost for rehab. Finally, the taxpayers did vote to sell the building. Unfortunately, the only apparent solution is to put out the for sale sign, and get what we can for the land and building, which will need to be torn down. The site has business possibilities as I think Stafford Road will be seeing increased traffic in coming years as a route to the galleries at Sandywoods, the new library, and hopefully the new soccer complex.

Actually "Rug Doctor" (really?) it's an exceptional idea. Unfortunately it's value goes over the heads of many people in town. No one, no one wants higher taxes - myself and Bill included. We need to figure a way out of this hole of continuing to raise property taxes every year. The answer will eventually come from creative, smart people who are willing to add something to the conversation and return this town to a real community instead of the US vs. THEM mentality that has eroded and divided my little town. Lowering our taxes isn't going to come from cutting, it will come from cultivating. Helping to cultivate and grow small businesses (owned by our neighbors and not corporations) in this town is desperately needed. I hope that all the negativity doesn't dissuade Bill or others from continuing to offer innovate ideas in the face of ideologically-motivated pessimism and a narrow definition of what a “community” should and should not be comprised of and responsible for.

I agree m with you Sara, somewhat, First the schools need to be sold and placed on the tax rolls, while the town won.t get top dollar for the property the taxs will help.The indy park has to be pushed forward ans zoning changed to encourage business to come here, I still believe a marriot courtyard or such would be a great fit in this town, the marine industry in Portsmouth continues to grow and someone should telling folks we have land for sale, another windmill is going up in Portsmouth, we are building a windfarm and that should atrract new industry, So i didn't mean to imply that Bill was not floating a good idea, it is, but for a private citizen or corperation. WHERE ARE our state reps on this, i see other towns building, why not us, Marriot wants to build in Middletown, we can offer cheaper land, probaly would take a tax break of some sort to get them here, but nothing ventured, nothing gained

The issue is getting these properties on the tax rolls that is where the money is. Another quasi public do nothing program that is a duplication of services that are provided at other places along with all of this phantom public money to fix up the place.If this is such a great idea I am all for it with private money and the properties on the tax rolls. The econonmic climate in RI comes from our anti business tax and spenders at the State House and not from some program funded by tax dollars in an old school building. It is clear to me that many of you who love this idea are not business owners.

Your idea sounds like a European "Folk High School," which are great - free or low-cost courses, activities, etc. So even if the location doesn't work, the idea is neat!

Suggest you form an exploratory committee, get a fundraiser, realtor, educator, and publicist on board!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_high_school

I offered the comments as a suggestion only, as to potential use of the old school. And quite a few of the ideas you mention above Bill Gerlach, are available around the corner in Westport, Massachusetts at UMass Dartmouth. Granted it's not Rhode Island, it's Massachusetts...but in terms of proximity, it is very close mileage-wise. And a fair amount of UMass Dartmouth grads, alumni and professors-both current and retired, are Tiverton residents. Perhaps that will help guide you going forward.

I think a lot of people are getting too caught up in the venue. Yes we (including myself) have voted to sell the schools. At the time there were no other options out there. And now we've been waiting...and waiting. I'm sure in that time a lot of people in town have thought about "If I could do something with those old buildings what would it be?". That's what this is. It's an idea, a "what if..."
Does the town have the money? Absolutely not. But capital isn't the starting point for ideas. You start with a vision, gain support and figure out how to make it happen. I feel really silly explaining this to what I assume is adults but I guess I need to.
But I'm excited to hear from Rug that that these services are already available. I am a yoga instructor and need studio space to rent, where do I do that? I am a small business owner in need of a fully equipped private office space to rent and I'd like to take a class on marketing (so I can grow my business and pay more taxes to my town), where do I do that? I am a teacher and would like to run a summer camp, where do I do that? I am a photographer and I'd like to expand into teaching, where can I run that class?
These spaces do exist, in other towns and states but they do not exist in a centralized location in Tiverton and that is the core of the idea.

I like the idea of a small business "incubator" space - somewhere that small start-ups could share resources to get off the ground (and hopefully develop & stay in Tiverton). There are some good models for this nationwide, either public-private partnerships, 501(c)3 organizations, or university-affiliated programs.

Another option would to focus on an arts space - seems like Nonquit, if the zoning would work (?), might fit into the 4 Corners arts district. Here is a cool place I visited, which was an old banana warehouse (seriously!) which was converted to cheap artists studios. This attracted people and donations, now it is a state-of-the-art place with events, galleries, retail, etc. - and serves as a development anchor for a formerly depressed area:

http://www.bananafactory.org/

Oh, if you are going to form a committee, I'd add an attorney to your board-of-trustees wish list. This is Tiverton, after all :0)

http://www.tiverton.ri.gov/municipalbuildings/MunicipalBuildingsFeasibilityAdvisoryCommitteeComprehensiveReport.pdf
This report is posted on the town website and should factor into discussion. Lots of evaluation of vacant town buildings with recommendations.
Many of these suggestions are part of needed space and services planned for the new library, based on input from the community.

do nothing but sell the schools as voted

The idea/vision is good one. Obviously there will always be considerations, concerns, and opposition, as is the case with all ideas. Ideas change and morph into logical, positive, profitable ventures all of the time. The courageous and inventive people who put their time, energy, and passion into their ideas are the ones who find success (even when some ideas fail). Instead of shooting down an idea which is positive for our community, one would be wise to take the idea along with the practical information (financials, property information) and morph it into something of value to our community. I applaud anyone who is willing bring fresh ideas to the table, and challenge the towns antiquated way of running. This is an age of "being green", "recycling", "reusing" the things that are currently at our disposal. I think applying that thinking to the town could be of value to our community.