Some Select Board members expressed concerns Tuesday about the viability of the Decas Community Center proposal. 

At the Fall 2021 Town Meeting, voters approved the creation of a Decas Steering Committee tasked with providing a recommendation to Town Meeting about the use of the building “for and by the residents of Wareham and other members of the public” by fall 2022. That committee has hired a consultant to conduct a feasibility study, and has also worked to secure letters of intent from potential community center tenants. The feasibility study is not yet complete.

Another group of citizens — some of them Committee members — have formed a non-profit called the John W. Decas Community Center Foundation. 

This Monday, Town Meeting voters will be asked to act on two citizens’ petition articles submitted by Leslie Edwards-Davis — an early proponent of the community center idea who led the 2021 citizens’ petition. Those first of the petitions asks for the town to hear a report from the committee. The second asks voters to approve: allowing the steering committee and foundation access to the building to prepare it for occupancy; move the Council on Aging to the building by July 1, 2022; for the Town Administrator to issue requests for proposals and execute contracts for a non-profit preschool program, a solar canopy land lease for over the parking lot and a non-profit food bank. 

Alan Slavin said that he’s unsure that the provision in one of the proponent’s articles that would require the town to move the Council on Aging to the school by July 1 is legitimate.

“I don’t think anybody has the right to do it,” Slavin said, adding that he wished people would spend time looking at the bylaws. He said town property is under the control of the Town Administrator, and said he was worried the article could have unforeseen impact. 

Jim Munise said that sometimes people working with passion may not be as clear as they’d like, or might not have all the information. 

“I think their hearts are in the right place,” Munise said. “We’re closer to getting a community center now than probably in the last 10 years, 15 years, 30 years, if we can work this out. Otherwise, we’re back to square one because I don’t see 14 million dollars rolling into town to do this.”

He said that the town should utilize the best place it has.

Peter Teitelbaum said he knows people are eager to make changes and see the Council on Aging in a new building.

“But we’ve got a committee that’s tasked to give a report to Town Meeting in the fall,” Teitelbaum said. He noted that the committee has been asked to hire a consultant to conduct a feasibility study, and said the group has a lot to consider.

The Public Safety Complex Building Committee — tasked with finding a new location for Wareham Police and potentially the Emergency Medical Services and Department of Natural Resources — has expressed interest in the site.

Teitelbaum said the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District’s report on the site’s future should also be considered. According that study, in an ideal scenario, the redeveloped Decas property would be “high-intensity lab/flex use” space. Flex space is space that isn’t limited to simply manufacturing or office use, but can also be used for scientific purposes such as research and development. A 170,000 square foot high-intensity lab/flex use space would result in an estimated $219,000 annual tax revenue for Wareham and bring approximately 270 jobs. The building would be three stories and built on the footprint of the existing school.

Regardless, the issue will be up to voters to decide Monday night at Town Meeting. Voters could choose to pass the articles, vote no or move the issue to further study.