Font ResizeDEVENS -- It's a task so unwieldy that the Joint Boards of Selectmen for Ayer, Harvard and Shirley (JBOS) decided to outsource the job to the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC).
The question to be answered is whether Devens floats its own boat between incoming revenue and its ongoing expense?
What does MassDevelopment spend to provide municipal-like service versus what they spend to develop and market available Devens lands?
The MRPC was hired two months ago at the cost of $8,400 to crunch MassDevelopment data into a more municipally-styled budgeting matrix. When asked what they'd spent of their budget to date, MRPC Executive Director Glenn Eaton asserted then retracted the notion that his staff has "probably spent 80-90 percent of that at $75 an hour."
Ayer Selectman Gary Luca asked about work completed to date. Eaton explained that a "waterfall of data" previously requested of MassDevelopment Executive Vice President Richard Montuori came down to them just the week prior. MRPC requested added time to organize the data into a readable and understandable presentation for the JBOS."
"I know we've spent 100 hours on this," Eaton said. Later Eaton said "don't hold me to that" in response to Devens representative Tom Kinch who said, "frankly speaking, if we're $7,500 into $8,000, we've just wasted $8,000."
Kinch critiqued the work to date as being no different than reports provided by the Joint Board's finance subcommittee
MRPC sought and was granted an extension of time through the end of November to provide the JBOS with a report on their findings. Eaton said a complication is that, with regards to Devens, "there ain't no such thing like it."
"We know this is a big office part with some residential uses. Most municipalities are not involved with financing the development. Fitchburg has a redevelopment authority. Those books are separate. But not here."
