MIDDLEBORO — Emotions ran high as select board members and the general public discussed potential plans for a community center and office space at the Peirce Building downtown at the Monday, Sept. 19 select board meeting.

Much of the debate centered around the potential cost of the building’s renovation of the building, whether the plans reflect the wishes of the public and if other work in town should be prioritized. 

Jones Payne Architects and Planners had developed a plan for the building, which is located on 99 North Main St., dates back to 1808 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building has been vacant since the police department moved out in 2018 to relocate into its current site on Wood Street.

The plans were created in conjunction with the Peirce Building Reuse Committee, a group of officials and residents put together at the request of the select board to consider future use of the building.

The work to transform the building into a community center and public and private office space has an estimated price tag of about $5 million, which select board member and reuse committee member Nathan Demers said could be covered out of free cash and grants. This would not impact taxes, he has said.

Several people in attendance took exception to that statement, saying that all money spent by the town comes from taxpayers in one form or another. “If it comes out of the tax coffers, it comes out of the taxpayers’’’ pockets, select board member Brian Giovanoni.

Select board member Neil Rosenthal countered that the work will be factored into the town’s overall budget.

“There’s no reason we can’t fund this within our budget,’’ Rosenthal said.

Questions were also raised about whether results of a survey conducted and presented by the Reuse Committee. The majority of survey results indicated that the public supported keeping the building in town hands and that the building could address the need for community space.

Several residents questioned whether the 534 respondents represented the views of a town of 25,000 people. 

Others asked whether a survey was done to determine other potential locations for the community center. 

Resident Paula Faye said the town needs to focus on the needs of other buildings before tackling this one. She said there is mold at the Middleboro Public Library that should be addressed.

Town Manager Robert Nunes, acknowledging that views are “very passionate on both sides,’’ urged the community to “test the private sector’’ to see what interest might be out there that would not involve town funding.

The current plan “is going to have an impact on the operational budget,’’ he said.

Supporters of the plan said the building could serve an important purpose as a welcome center to encourage people to visit the center of town.

“Having a friendly, welcoming building’’ could be “the beginning of perhaps a renaissance in downtown Middleboro,’’ select board member Neil Rosenthal said.

Giovanoni questioned whether a business plan or market analysis had been done on the site. “I would like to preserve this building but how do we do it if we don’t have the money’’ for it.

Louise Dery-Wells, a backer of the project, questioned why the issue was generating such strong reactions. 

“I’m really perplexed at the level of grievance for such a small project,’’ she said. “I’m not sure where these negative feelings are coming from. There’s something a little self-destructive about this energy here.’’

Rosenthal noted that residents make the ultimate decision and not the select board or any other committee. 

“It takes a vote of the town,’’ he said.