West Tisbury selectmen agreed to level the town’s old courthouse on Old Courthouse Road to make way for affordable housing.
The selectmen arrived at a consensus on the matter after hearing a report from Old Courthouse Reuse Committee member Bea Phear on June 14. The committee found the old courthouse deteriorated beyond repair and recommended razing it, Ms. Phear said. She suggested a contractor might be enticed to dismantle the building for free in exchange for its posts and beams. Once the building is taken down, Ms. Phear’s committee advocated the land be reused as a site for affordable housing.
“We quite quickly determined that affordable housing was far and away the best use. It’s a particularly good location. It’s on a paved road but not on a highway; it’s near public transportation; it’s in a residential neighborhood,” she said. “The land is 22,000 square feet,” she added, and state law would allow for 2 bedrooms on such a lot. She said the small size of the property may inflate the cost of its management in terms of services like plowing. Dukes County Housing executive director David Vigneault told her that management of an affordable building at the site may be nonetheless doable, she said.
Selectmen chairman Skip Manter asked if the building’s demolition costs might be increased by the presence of lead or asbestos.
“I think there’s both asbestos and lead paint,” town administrator Jennifer Rand said.
The selectmen supported the demolition, but said funding would likely need to appear on the next town meeting warrant.
