Pepperell Selectmen Unanimously Approve Peter Fitzpatrick School Lease Negotiations

PEPPERELL — October 28, 2019 — Pepperell selectmen unanimously accept proposal to negotiate a management lease for the long-vacant Peter Fitzpatrick School. Town Administrator Andrew McLean, who guided a five-member citizen review group through roughly 10 to 12 hours of evaluation, received board authorization Monday to enter lease negotiations with the Fitzpatrick Collaborative, the sole respondent to the town's request for proposals. Review group chair Deb Fountain recommended a two-year lease with quarterly financial-milestone reviews rather than the 10-year term the collaborative sought, calling anchor-tenant recruitment "the key to the success" of the proposal. The board also set a fiscal 2020 single-family average assessed value of $356,572 — up about 8 percent — producing an estimated tax bill of $6,058 at a projected $16.99 rate, and jointly appointed Marsha Schofield to fill a Board of Assessors vacancy left by the resignation of 20-plus-year member Michael Coffey, with her term running through April 2020.