Burgo voices frustration over delay on proposed facility

Jul 9, 2015

Monday morning saw Avery Bradley of the Boston Celtics come to Burgo Basketball Association’s outdoor complex on Slocum Road, but had it rained that day, the hundred or so young players wouldn’t have had a place to play.

With a plan in the works to build a mostly privately funded, $4.2 million indoor facility on the property, Burgo founder and Director Steve Burgo said future situations like the one mentioned would be solved. But currently, he said, the group is still up in the air regarding a decision from the Select Board about a 30-year lease for the property requested from the town.

Colorado Property Partners, the group providing $3.2 million to fund the project, required the association to secure a 30-year lease on the land.

“The next step for us is to get the building open, but we need the town to give us what we need to do our thing,” said Burgo. “When you’ve got someone giving you $4 million — I’m bothered by it very much.”

The 57,000 square-foot proposed facility would house classrooms for a tutoring program, a training facility and a basketball court with bleachers. Initially, the issue was expected to be on the agenda for the June 29 meeting of the Select Board, but it was not. As of Thursday morning, there was no agenda posted for the board’s July 13 meeting.

Burgo said he’d heard from a town official that there was concern about the facility being open to people from outside of Dartmouth. With a grandson that lives in Acushnet, Burgo said he was angered by the comments.

“You’re not hurting me, you’re hurting the kids,” he said. “This is going to put Dartmouth on the map. It has the chance to be the second biggest basketball complex in the area. It will bring money into the economy, to hotels, to the businesses around here. It’s a win-win for Dartmouth. The only thing I care about is the kids.”

Select Board Chair Shawn McDonald said representatives from the town still need more documentation regarding construction costs and financing in order to make a decision.

"Because there's no rent, no money exchanged, physical equipment is part of that equation," said McDonald. "As it is with the soccer fields, the DYAA, things like that, there’s monetary value of services they provide on the land in form of recreation."

He said part of the concern lies the fact that the organization could fold, leaving no one to pay off the loan.

"The town cannot be a guarantor on the loan. There are some questions that need to be ironed out completely. And then there's convincing three of our members to go along with it."

McDonald said the item could potentially be on the agenda for Monday's meeting, though he said it's unlikely a decision will be made without the proper documentation requested from the Burgo side.

“The board is not going got make the decision until all the info is given and the town is comfortable going forward."