Finance, Decas Steering Committees talk ‘nuts and bolts’

The committee advocating for the proposed Decas Community Center met with the Finance Committee on Wednesday in an attempt for the groups to better understand each others’ points of view.

The groups were at odds at the Spring Town Meeting, when the Decas Steering Committee asked for the town to enact their plans for a community center in the old school while the Finance Committee argued that there were still too many unknowns.

The Decas School was vacated in January when the new Wareham Elementary School on Minot Avenue opened.

A group of citizens petitioned Town Meeting in Fall 2021 to pursue the plan to turn the school into a community center. Town Meeting obliged by creating the steering committee and giving the group $15,000 to pay for a feasibility study of community-focused uses of the building. 

The intention was to give the committee time to come back with research and a completed study to present at this coming fall’s Town Meeting.

Since this spring’s meeting, things seem to be in a holding pattern as Town Administrator Derek Sullivan says he and others are awaiting the results of the feasibility study.

On Wednesday, the two committees had a fairly unstructured discussion. Steering Committee Chair Diane Kenney had planned a presentation, but was unexpectedly unable to attend.

Steering committee clerk Jonathan Dallmeyer asked the Finance Committee to share their concerns. Finance Committee member Jody Smith said he wants to be sure the project makes…