Dear Mayor Grenier,

We, the undersigned citizens of the City of Berlin, want to express our support for the Mayor and City Council’s decision to sell Brown School to New England Family Housing.

We support this decision because:

1. The City provided two opportunities for interested parties to bid on the project.
2. The decision to sell Brown School to New England Family Housing was not made in a vacuum. The Brown School Committee’s membership included residents of the neighborhood and city officials. We firmly believe the City conducted this process in an open and transparent manner.
3. Previously the property was not on the City’s tax rolls, and New England Family Housing is a for-profit entity that will pay property taxes.
4. It was stated at a previous Council meeting that the back corner of Brown School sits within a flood plain and may need asbestos remediation in the cellar. Selling Brown School to New England Family Housing will mean any necessary environmental clean-up won’t be at the expense of Berlin taxpayers.
5. The citizens of Berlin had plenty of time to offer input. Brown School has been closed for two years, and we do not want to see such a beautiful and iconic space remain empty.

We appreciate the work and time that the Brown School Committee, Planning Board, and City officials put into making this sale a reality.

Thank you,