Cable Access eyes locations
Published on June 18th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - Meeting this Monday afternoon, the Stoneham Access Corporation's (SCA) Board of Directors unveiled four locations that could house a television studio for the newly formed entity.
Joined by Amy Brough, SCA's new Executive Director, the board discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the four possible studio sites, which include Stoneham High School's vacant basement mechanical room, the Our Place Church at 53 Central Street, office space at 105 Central Street, and 41 Montvale Avenue, the current site of the television studio.
Because SCA studio hours at 41 Montvale Avenue have been dramatically scaled back in recent months, Board members have made choosing a new location the number one priority of the newly formed organization.
According to Board of Directors member Al Cialella, the corporation has only been allowed to work in the studio for a total of six hours a week, severely hindering the corporation's ability to televise government meetings.
"It's been a tremendous pain for us because we tape government meetings and people expect to see them within the next couple of days. It's a matter of being able to program and being able to edit. They wouldn't give us the time," complained Cialella, who added that last week's Board of Selectmen meeting couldn't be televised live because of the studio restrictions.
As a result of those restrictive hours of operation, Brough told board members that the corporation should temporarily limit its programming to government meetings.
"What I was told is that no other shows can be done...I would prefer finding out about buildings first before taking more projects on," said Brough, who worked her first official day as Executive Director on Monday.
Of the four possible sites discussed at the meeting, the corporation's current site would most likely take the least amount of time to renovate, as there would be no need to build a studio.
However, board members considered the high cost of leasing the Montvale Avenue location and the presence of other tenants problematic. Addressing another concern with the current location, Brough expressed her desire to move to a new location with a more inviting feel to it.
"If you stay in the same location, the perception may be that we're the same station. If you move away from that it might help with the transition," explained Brough. "If you're starting up new, I would say one of the options would be to move somewhere new," she added.
Of the other three locations discussed, Brough and board members felt that the basement of the high school and the Our House Church would represent the best locations for creating an inviting community center.
The basement of the high school, which first popped up as a possible location for the studio at last week's Board of Selectmen hearing, contains a variety of features the board is looking for in a studio, including a concrete floor to roll cameras on, high ceilings for studio lights, a garage to house the corporation's van, and an entrance that could easily be renovated to become handicapped accessible.
However, board member Al Conti brought up two problems with leasing the High School location: the requirement to secure Town Meeting approval and the possibility that SCA could be required to relocate after the lease expired.
"Do we buy into the possibility that after fixing up this 4000 square foot property that after nine years they (the school) might want to re-lease it?" asked Conti.
While the board did question the wisdom of renovating the high school basement, according to Superintendent Joseph Connelly, the basement should be available to the corporation after the lease has ended.
"That would be the case with any nine year rental, but I do not foresee the space being needed by the School Department in nine years or more," said Connelly in a separate interview this Tuesday.
"I think it's impossible to project nine years down the road, but if I had to project, I could not see the school needing it for another purpose," he added.
Representing the only location that the corporation could consider buying outright, the Our House Church at 53 Central street is another site that board members identified as inviting to the public.
"When you go in I honestly think you can make it a community center because it does have that charm," said Brough of the church. "I really do feel location, location, location. You want people to have this homey feeling because there's going to be people who don't know how to use a camera," she added.
Adding to the desirability of the church site, the location could be leased over a long-term period exceeding nine years. However, the building's wooden floors, the need for soundproofing, and uncertainty surrounding the structure's electrical system all represent problems with the site.
Although the board had previously entertained the idea of using the gymnasium of the old Central School, members voted unanimously to remove the location from their list because the school department would not lease out the site for a nine-year period.
"Without the nine years, it's out of the question," said the board's Vice President Charlie Houghton.
According to Connelly, the School Department could not agree to a nine year lease because there may be a need to use the old Central School for educational purposes in the future.
While the board has made the acquisition of a new building it's first priority, members remain uncertain how long the process will take.
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