By Beth David, Editor
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell and State Senator Mark Montigny are both objecting to the decision by UMassDartmouth to vacate the New Bedford Campus of the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) in the Star Store building in downtown New Bedford. The campus, which helped to revitalize downtown New Bedford, began offering classes to students than 20 years ago. Its original 20-year lease ended in 2021, and negotiations apparently stalled.
“Minutes before his public announcement this morning, Chancellor Fuller called to inform me of his decision to relocate the CVPA from the downtown. To say that I reacted with surprise and dismay is an understatement. The CVPA has anchored the downtown’s cultural scene for over twenty years, extending the century-long work of its predecessor, the Swain School of Design,” wrote Mayor Mitchell in a statement on 8/14.
He said he offered to help negotiate a new agreement, but since he was not asked to be involved, he thought it would just be a matter of time.
“The notion that the University’s decision ultimately hinged on whether a particular line item was included in the new state budget strains credulity,” reads the statement. “The failure to arrive at an agreement will now be felt by the students, faculty, residents, local businesses, and the City, which stands to lose a major anchor institution. The City will attempt to work with the state administration in the hope that this short-sighted decision can be rectified.”
Sen. Montigny, who led the legislative effort to get the campus in New Bedford more than 20 years ago, also stressed the importance of the campus in New Bedford’s downtown.
“This transformational project played an invaluable role in jumpstarting the tremendous arts and cultural renaissance in downtown New Bedford that is evident today with thriving restaurants, museums, art galleries, and so much more,” said Sen. Montigny, adding that the lease contained a $1 purchase option that was signed into law last year.
He also also expressed his dismay at the decision.
“Despite objections, the university has decided to vacate the building that the legislature paid for with over 20 years of appropriations,” wrote Sen. Montigny. “I am deeply disappointed that DCAMM and the university neglected multiple opportunities to meet their basic responsibility to protect taxpayers and students by neglecting to secure the campus in accordance with my original legislation that created and funded this campus as well as state law signed just last year. As the lease and state law have required, the building should be immediately transferred for one dollar so that taxpayer money will no longer be squandered, and all the interested parties can work together to ensure Star Store’s long-term future in downtown New Bedford. I believe we can accomplish this goal, and I will continue working directly with the Healey Administration and Secretary Gorzkowicz to protect the public’s long-term investment with integrity and transparency.”
In his letter to staff and faculty, UMD Chancellor Mark Fuller said since 2001 the state has fully funded UMD’s presence in the “historic Star Store Building in downtown New Bedford,” which serves about 200 students.
He said the state budget released last week does not fund the campus and so they will move the students to other facilities.
Dr. Fuller writes that even if the building is gifted to the university, it cannot afford to operate it without state assistance, “much less make the most urgently needed repairs and beging to renovate it to meet the needs of the next generation of students.”
“Our two decades in the Star Store have enriched our campus community, as well as the City of New Bedford, immeasurable,” wrote Dr. Fuller. “It’s heartbreaking to leave this wonderful facility that has formed a vibrant nexus for the arts at the heart of downtown.”
He said the school will still have a presence in New Bedford with its other programs, such as the School of Marine Science and Technology, the Law School’s Justice Bridge program, and the Worker’s Education Program.”
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