HADLEY — Hadley is another step closer to selling the historic North Hadley Village Hall to a private developer.
The Select Board last week began the process of seeking legislative approval to remove the open land adjacent to the River Drive building from permanent protection, following a unanimous vote from the Conservation Commission on Dec. 10.
The idea is to have the Legislature and then Gov. Charlie Baker agree to release the former ballfield from Article 97 protection, and transfer the protection to the larger Zatyrka Park at the corner of Breckenridge and Huntington roads.
Even though Town Meeting in November agreed by a 242-28 vote that the green space that borders North Hadley Pond no longer needs to be protected, the state will have the final say.
Earlier, the Select Board accepted a bid from Peter Heronemus of Hadley to purchase and convert the aging building into apartments, a workshop and a performance venue. When staging events, the ballfield might be used for parking, but otherwise would remain intact.
Meantime, the Select Board and other town officials are planning for the reuse of the Goodwin Memorial Library building when the new town library, being built on the former site of the Hooker School, opens.
Both the Park and Recreation Department and Planning Board anticipate relocating to the building from Town Hall, with the main level to serve as a meeting room and site for activities.
But there are still questions about how the second floor and basement at Goodwin can be used, with the lower level likely to be for storage, according to town officials. The second floor has a weight limit that restricts how much material can be put there.
Hadley Building Commissioner Timothy Neyhart said without spending money to build an elevator and install accessible bathrooms on the main floor at Goodwin, future uses might also be curtailed.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
