Berlin Votes 3-2 To End Heron Park Negotiations With Developer; Will Move Forward With Demolition

BERLIN– Plans to sell a portion of Heron Park to a local developer came to a halt Monday with a 3-2 vote by the town council to end negotiations.

The Berlin Town Council on Monday voted 3-2 to stop negotiations with Palmer Gillis and Coastal Ventures Properties and to instead have the town move forward with demolition of the dilapidated building on the site on its own.

“I hope the next time we go for bid or proposals for this property that we as a town know what we want,” said Councilman Dean Burrell, one of those who supported ending negotiations.

Since last year, the town has been in an exclusive negotiating period with Gillis, one of two bidders who submitted proposals for property at Heron Park. Though the town in recent weeks narrowed the focus of consideration to just parcel 57, the lot containing the dilapidated processing plant, negotiations with Gillis have been ongoing. After a lengthy work session Monday night, the time for a decision came at the end of the regular council meeting. Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said that in order to meet the deadlines associated with the $500,000 strategic demolition grant the town had for the property, a request for demolition proposals needed to be developed now. Before that can be done, she said officials needed to decide whether they were using the grant to demolish as much of the building as could be demolished or if they were using it to selectively demolish the portions designated by Gillis. Bohlen said it was questionable whether the town would be able to get demolition accomplished in the next 10 months, considering the request for proposals had to be drafted and bids solicited and reviewed.

“I’m very very concerned,” she said. “I’m not going to mince words on this.”

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