Finance Committee - 9/5/2018 Page 15
Mayor Donchess
Is there a motion to approve?
MOTION BY ALDERMAN LAWS TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND AWARD THE CONTRACT TO FULL
CIRCLE CONSULTING IN THE AMOUNT OF $48,000. SOURCE OF FUNDING IS DEPARTMENT 183,
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; PAC PROJECT COST
MOTION CARRIED
From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: 14 Court Street Building Renovations — Replace Exterior Wall of Glass and Door System
(Value: $18,890)
MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND AWARD THE CONTRACT TO
BERKELEY BUILDING COMPANY IN THE AMOUNT $18,890. FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE IN
DEPARTMENT 183, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; BUILDING TRUST FUND
ON THE QUESTION
Mayor Donchess
Maybe | should take a moment to speak about the origin of this whole thing. Alderman Gidge who is very
active in the Arts Community has a lot of knowledge particularly about the studios that exist in Lowell for artists,
the Western Avenue Studio specifically which is actually a very large mill building. We, Mr. Cummings and |,
with Alderman Gidge, some months ago visited the Western Avenue Studio, anybody who hasn't gone there
should check it out, it is quite an impressive facility. It is an entire mill building with maybe 300 artist studios, all
of which are maybe 250 square feet; | mean these are small places that they rent for $250.00, $300.00,
$350.00 a month.
Alderman Gidge began to make the point that there is space in the Court Street Buidling off the lower back
Courtyard, the grassy area, kind of near where the Symphony has its studio. There is space there that could
be used and activated into artist studios, small spaces, walls about 8 feet tall, some lighting and this is
particularly for the rusted and discolored glass and doors and the like which should be replaced anyway. So at
the same time, but really something that should happen anyhow.
So he suggested look, we can turn that area into 8 to 10 studios. So over time, we worked with Jay
Hunnewell, the City Building Manager and others to kind of scope this out. Alderman Gidge has spent a lot of
time over there and developed a design for 9 studios with a design that seems like it would work and with the
belief that there are at least 9, the picker artist, that building is full with the belief that we can find 9 people who
are willing to pay a modest amount of money to get a studio with the knowledge that bringing artists into the
downtown is a great long-term, even though only 9 in this case, that’s not 90 but is a long-term economic
stimulator because the artists attract other people and help with downtowns in general. So based upon the
Ken Gidge idea we ultimately developed a set of bid documents, put this out to bid, and received kind of these
two independent projects. But this bid for the replacement of the glass and the frames, the reduction from 3 to
1 door, so a consolidated door and also the following item which is for the construction of the studio space and
additional lighting and everything that is needed to activate it.
If we were to rent these 9 studios for $250.00 a month we'd bring in $2,250.00 a month, which is $26,000.00 a
year so we have a pay back of less than three years. And if we can get these studios activated, it will provide
a lot of life. We are also upstairs from this putting in the nano brewery which has been approved recently. And
this could lead to studios in the second floor as well. It seems like this is a good project to undertake with a
reasonable payback and source of funds would be the City Building Fund. These are reserved funds and we
have about $500,000.00 in the fund and the escrow proposed adding one hundred or something. But this
would be expending out of those funds. So that’s basically the proposal, Tim Cummings can fill in any of the
gaps.
