RFP 11 Gleason Court

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
FORMER GRAMMAR SCHOOL
11 Gleason Court
Douglas, MA 01516
SALE OF TOWN-OWNED REAL ESTATE
REQUEST ISSUED: May 5, 2026
RESPONSES DUE: 6 :00 PM, June 16, 2026
TOWN OF DOUGLAS
29 DEPOT STREET
DOUGLAS, MA 01516
(508) 476-4000

I.GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Town of Douglas (the "Town"), acting by and through its Town Administrator and
Board of Selectmen, is offering to sell a Town-owned building known as the former
Grammar School located at 11 Gleason Court Douglas, MA 01516 on land known as
Lot 163-110. The Town is seeking a qualified applicant to purchase the building and
land associated therewith as described in this Request for Proposals (RFP). The
building must be preserved and redeveloped for modern use as a condition of sale.
II. GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE PROPERTY
The restricted appraisal report, attached hereto as Exhibit A, provides a great deal of
location, background and dimensional information on this property. The following
documents are available upon request from the Board of Selectmen's office:
1. Property Record Card;
2. ANR Plan dated December 11, 2024 found at Book 981, Page 53 in the
Worcester Registry of Deeds;
3. Building floor plans;
4. Hazardous substances testing results and reports;
The property to be sold is located at 11 Gleason Court, at the location commonly
known as the former Grammar School, (hereinafter the "Site"). The building was
constructed in 1898. It is three (3) stories in height. The Town will convey an area of
land, including the building, of approximately 1.24 acres. The building has a gross
area of 20,664 +/- square feet, with approximately 10,312 square feet of finished
space on the first two floors, and unfinished basement and attic areas. There are
front and rear parking areas. Access to the Site is provided via Gleason Court.
The property consists of the building, its parking lot, an access driveway, and grass
and landscaped buffer. The property is located within Douglas's busiest commercial
area. It has the Douglas Primary, Elementary, and Middle Schools at its rear, single
family homes on one side, town owned open space on the other side, and the United
States Post Office / Douglas Adult Social Center at its front facing Main Street.
The building was used until the late 1970s as a public education facility. The building
is not ADA compliant and needs interior and exterior upgrades and improvements.
The building has not been occupied for several decades. The successful
Respondent will be required to file for and obtain approval from the Douglas Planning
Board and Conservation Commission for development on the Site.
Interior:
The basement contains the boiler room (steam heat), centralized lavatories, storage
and what may have been one classroom. The first and second floors each contain
four classrooms of approximately 832 square feet, a very wide corridor and stairs to

the respective other floors. Access to the attic is via a wall mounted vertical ladder
and ceiling hatch.
Typical interior partitions appear to be load bearing wood framing. There is no fire
protection in the building. All existing plumbing fixtures and trim is antiquated and
require replacement. All water, waste, and vent systems are antiquated and require
replacement in their entirety. The boiler was removed and there is no hot water
heater. The electrical system is minimal and will need to be upgraded with modern
materials.
In connection with an attempt to sell this building in the late 1990s and early 2000s,
the Town retained the services of an architect and several subcontractors to assess
the structure for the presence of various hazardous substances. By way of summary,
the report noted the presence of asbestos, unacceptable amounts of bird droppings,
possible hazardous materials in light ballasts, and minimal to no lead paint detected
in the interior of the building.
The Town made extensive efforts to address the issues noted in the report. The bird
droppings were fully remediated. A new roof was installed, and all entry points were
closed to wildlife. Windows and doors were boarded. All light fixtures were removed.
The 1999 report on building materials tested for asbestos was very thorough. From
its records of contracts and payments made in 2002-2003, the Town believes all
materials containing asbestos have been removed and properly disposed of.
The Town inspects the building on a quarterly basis and these conditions have not
changed.
Exterior:
Exterior wall construction is un-reinforced brick masonry with what was once double
hung operable windows. All window sashes have been removed and boarded up
with plywood. In general, the exterior brick walls are in good condition. Some
repointing may be necessary at the lower extent of the walls. The current roof
material is asphalt shingles and is about 22 years old.
Lead was documented in the green paint on exterior cosmetic trim and the main
porches of the building, located on the front and rear of the building. Both porches
have been removed. Green paint is still visible on the trim.
III. GENERAL TERMS FOR PROPOSALS TO PURCHASE
A. The Town believes it has disclosed all building conditions to the extent of its
knowledge from observation and its records. The building will be sold in its
"as-is" condition. Due diligence is the sole responsibility of the purchaser.
Access to records and the building will be granted upon request at reasonable
times set by appointment.

B. Nothing herein is intended to exclude any responsible Respondent or in any
way restrain competition. The Town encourages participation by Minority and
Women Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE).
C. The following meanings are attached to the defined words then used in this
RFP.
1. "Town": means the Town of Douglas.
2. "Minimum and Mandatory Evaluation Criteria": means the criteria for
determining whether the proposal is responsible and responsive.
3. "Comparative Evaluation Criteria": means the criteria for determining
whether the purposed use of the site is in the best interest of the Town.
4. "Front" means the building side with the current main entrance to the
structure, which faces a parking area to the north.
5. "Back" is the building side opposite the main entrance, where there is
currently a second means of egress, facing the wooded area to the
south of the building.
D. All materials submitted by a Respondent become the property of the Town.
The Town is under no obligation to return any of the material submitted by a
Respondent.
E. The selected Respondent shall execute a Purchase Agreement with the Town
within 30 days from the Respondent's receipt of the Town Administrator's
Notice of Award. The Purchase Agreement will contain provisions, amongst
others, that set forth timelines for commencement of development work as
well as for filing of application(s) for necessary permit(s). The purchase of
this property shall be subject to any easements existing and required for
street, sewer, and water, or any other public purposes abutting and within
said property and any other encumbrance of record. The Respondent shall
thereafter tender any payments due the Town upon execution of the
purchase. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Town, in its sole discretion,
reserves the right to extend time for execution of the Purchase Agreement for
extenuating circumstances.
F. It is understood and agreed that it shall be a material breach of any contract
resulting from this RFP for the Respondent to engage in any practice which
shall violate any provision of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 151B,
relative to discrimination in hiring, discharge, compensation, or terms,
conditions, or privileges of employment because of race, color, religious
creed, national origin, sex, age or ancestry.
G. The Purchase Agreement referred to in Section III Paragraph (D) above, shall
be drafted by Douglas's Town Counsel in compliance with the terms of this
RFP, and shall incorporate the terms of this RFP and of the proposal

selected. At minimum, it is expected that the Purchase Agreement will
contain the following terms and conditions:
1. Closing date, time, and final price.
2. All upgrades to the facility necessary to facilitate and support the
proposed use shall be Respondent's responsibility.
3. After closing, all maintenance, upkeep and repair of the building and
immediate grounds shall be Respondent's responsibility.
4. Upgrades to the facility per applicable local, state and federal codes
and ADA standards shall be the Respondent's responsibility.
5. Respondent shall bind insurance coverage to the building effective
upon closing.
6. Respondent shall be responsible for obtaining all local and state
approvals, permits and licenses.
7. Respondent shall be responsible for the payment of all utilities after
closing.
H. Acknowledgement of, and contractual obligations to comply with, the following
conditions of sale:
1. There shall be no additions made to the building. Exterior amenities,
such as, but not limited to, landscaped areas, parking shelters,
restoration of covered entries and stairways, are encouraged.
2. The exterior of the building will not be altered from its historical
appearance unless otherwise provided. Window and door openings
will remain the same size as the original. Trim materials, windows and
doors may be replaced but shall replicate existing. Chimneys shall not
be removed and shall be maintained, but do not need to be functioning
/ operating.
3. Exterior color choices are not restricted in any way. Windows and
doors may be made of any material and do not have to maintain
historical mechanical / physical operation. Replacement windows may
be used provided they are consistent with condition (1) above.
4. Building changes will be made in consultation with the Douglas
Historical Commission. While the Commission has no formal
jurisdiction, the Town will require as a condition of sale that the
Commission have a role in the consideration of plans.
I. The proposed project must be completed within twenty four (24) months of
the notice of award, a time hereinafter called the "completion date". The
parties may extend this date by mutual agreement.
1. "Completed" for purposes of this provision shall mean the date on
which the Building Inspector issues a final Certificate of Occupancy for
the property, or in the case where multiple Certificates of Occupancy
are required the issuance of the last final Certificate of Occupancy of

all such required certificates. In the event of a failure of the awardee to
complete the project by the completion date, title to the property may
revert to the Town at the Town's sole election. This reversion shall
include the transfer to the Town of any fixtures or improvements to or
on the property;
2. The Town will hold the purchase price in escrow until the project is
completed or until the completion date, whichever is sooner, and the
escrowed funds will then be paid to the Town;
3. In the event that the Town elects to exercise its right of reversion, the
Town will return the escrowed funds to awardee subject to the
following:
i. The awardee shall give the Town a full written accounting of any
unpaid contractor, subcontractor, vendor, supplier or other
accounts or liens related to the project. The accounting must be
made under the pains and penalties of perjury;
ii. The Town will review this accounting and may, for its sole
benefit and not for the benefit of any third party beneficiary,
deduct the unpaid amount shown in the accounting;
iii. The escrow balance will be paid to awardee within 60 days of
awardee's submission of the accounting as specified above;
iv. Nothing in these provisions derogates from the Town's rights to
pursue awardee for any damages of any nature caused by
awardee.
J. The Respondent will be required to certify that no official or employee of the
Town of Douglas, Massachusetts, is interested in this proposal which the
Respondent offers to execute or in expected profits to arise therefrom, unless
there has been compliance with the provisions of M.G.L., Chapter 43, Section
27, and that this proposal is made in good faith without fraud or collusion or
connection with any other person submitting a proposal.
K. Representations by Respondent that a complaint or claim alleging violation by
the Respondent of such statutes, rules or regulations is presented to the
Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), the Respondent
agrees to cooperate with the MCAD in the investigation and disposition of
such complaint or claim.
L. As required by Section H (1) above, there shall be no alterations or additions
to the property beyond those specified by the awardee in its Response to the
Request for Proposals and which have been accepted by the Town. It is the
Town's intention that this requirement survive the purchase and sale
agreement, and that it be included as a deed restriction.
IV. THE PROPOSAL: PRICE AND NON-PRICE INFORMATION
Although price will be a factor and considered by the Town in evaluating responses

to this RFP, it will not be the sole determining factor. The Town also is interested in
seeing the Site utilized in a manner that improves the building and immediate
grounds and results in the long-term maintenance of the property. The Town will
determine the most advantageous proposal taking into consideration all evaluation
criteria, as well as price, from responsible and responsive proposers responding to
this RFP.
Proposals, therefore, must include both a "Price" and a "non-Price" proposal. These
proposals shall be tendered in separate sealed envelopes, labeled as "price" and
"non-price".
Price Proposal information shall state the monetary offer being made by the
Respondent for purchase of the Site. Respondents are encouraged to spell out the
words as well as write the number of their offer as a means to check their own work.
If there is any discrepancy, the spelled-out words of the monetary offer will be used.
The appraisal of this property yielded a market value of $390,000 for the building and
the real estate upon which it is located. Pursuant to MGL Chapter 30B, section 16,
the Selectmen will entertain bids with a price below the appraised value, however,
the proposer must identify specific reasons why the market value or higher is not
being offered. The failure to provide this narrative will result in the bid being deemed
"unresponsive" and disqualified.
The minimum bid that will be entertained by the Board of Selectman shall be
$165,800. This is the assessed value of the underlying real estate, which is uniform
across the Village Business zoning district in which the property is located.
Non-Price Proposal information shall state the necessary information as required in
the RFP in responding to minimum and comparative evaluation criteria disclosed
herein. To be deemed complete, a response must include a conceptual design,
including building location, appurtenances, and landscaping proposed. A rendering
of concept is desired; the minimum requirement is a plot plan showing locations,
dimensions and elevations.
Each proposal must comply with all requirements as outlined herein. Proposals that
do not comply with all requirements may be rejected in accordance with law.
V. PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND SUBMISSION
Respondents shall submit proposals in hard copy to the Town Administrator's
Office no later than 6:00 p.m., Tuesday June 16, 2026. Proposals received after
this date and time will not be considered. Respondents may submit proposals in
hard copy only, as follows:
1. A hard copy submission shall include one (1) original and seven (7)
copies of the proposal package for a total of eight (8) copies;

2. Respondents may deliver proposals to Town Hall at the address below
between 8:30am-4:00pm Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and from
8:30am-6:00pm on Tuesday;
3. In the alternative, respondents may mail proposal packages to the following
address:
Douglas Old Grammar School - RFP
Attn: Town Administrator
Douglas Municipal Center
29 Depot Street
Douglas, MA 01516
The Proposals will be opened immediately after the close of submissions and the
relevant portions read aloud. The identity of each respondent, and their mailing
address, will be disclosed. However, this is a process that considers factors other
than price, and thus, the remainder of the bid tally sheet will not be available until
after award to the successful bidder.
All Respondents shall submit one (1) package consisting of two sealed envelopes to
be marked as Envelope A and Envelope B.
Envelope A shall contain the Respondent's name and shall be further marked,
"REAL ESTATE PURCHASE PROPOSAL - FORMER GRAMMAR SCHOOL,
NON-PRICE INFORMATION" and shall contain all information requested by the
Town as set forth in Section IV.
Envelope B shall contain the Respondent's name and shall be further marked,
"FORMER GRAMMAR SCHOOL PROPOSAL - PRICE INFORMATION" and shall
contain all information required by the Town as set forth in Section IV.
After all proposals are opened, a Respondent may not change any provision of
his/her/its proposal in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the Town or fair
competition. Minor informalities may be waived by the Town, solely at the Town's
discretion or the Respondent at the sole discretion of the Town, may be allowed to
correct them. The Town shall have sole authority to determine minor informalities. If
a mistake and the intended proposal are clearly evident on the face of the proposal
document, the mistake may be corrected to reflect the intended correct offer. A
Respondent may withdraw a proposal if a mistake is clearly evident on the face of
the proposal document, but the intended correct proposal is not similarly evident.
The determination whether a mistake has occurred shall rest solely with the Town.
VI. PROPOSED PRICE
All prices submitted in response to the RFP shall be firm. Each proposal must state
in the Proposal that the Proposal shall remain in effect for ninety (90) days from the
deadline for submission. The Town will decide upon award of the proposal within

ninety (90) days of submission.
VII. SCORING SYSTEM AND DECISION RULE
Not Most
Unacceptable Advantageous
Element Advantageous Advantageous
Score -0- Score 2
Score 1 Score 3
Development The proposal The proposal The proposal The proposal
concept - includes changes meets the enhances the highlights the
building to the building that conditions of the building without historical features of
preservation violate the RFP. changing historical the building
conditions laid out
elements
in the RFP.
Proposed Use Proposed use Proposed use is Proposed use Proposed use
does not fit with compatible with the enhances the improves the range
the character of existing pattern of existing built of goods and
the neighborhood, the neighborhood environment services available to
and/or the historic the residents of
cosmetically and
nature of the Douglas
compatible use
building.
Respondent First time project of The Respondent The Respondent The Respondent
Experience this magnitude, no has some documents demonstrates more
good credentials or experience with a greater than five than 10 years
testimonials from project of this size, (5) but less than experience on
other communities similar scaled
but less than 5 ten (10) years of
projects.
years experience with
similar scaled
projects
Time Frame Respondent does The Respondent The Respondent's The Respondent's
not provide a demonstrates the forecasted forecasted timeline
timetable for ability to complete timeline indicates indicates
completion of the the proposed completion and completion and
project or has a development within occupancy within
occupancy within
timeline that a period of four (4) two (2) years or
three (3) years or
exceeds four (4) years or less. less.
less.
years.
Decision rule: The Town will choose the proposal that is most advantageous to the
Town. Factors in the "Not Advantageous" column are the minimum requirements for
this scope of work. Therefore, proposals that receive a zero (0) for any factor will be
disqualified.
The Town reserves the right to reject any and/or all proposals if it deems it in its best
interest to do so.
VIII. REVISIONS TO RFP
If it should become necessary to revise any part of the RFP terms, an addendum will
be issued and furnished to all individuals and/or firms that have requested them.

Any prospective Respondent requesting a change in or interpretation of existing
terms and conditions must do so within ten (10) days (Saturdays, Sundays, and
legal holidays excluded) before the proposal due date. No changes will be
considered or any interpretation issued unless request received by the Town within
ten (10) days before the proposal due date. All inquiries must be submitted in
writing to:
Matthew J. Wojcik, Town Administrator
Town of Douglas
29 Depot Street
Douglas, MA 01501
IX. WITHDRAWAL OF PROPOSALS
Proposals may be withdrawn, corrected, or modified at any time prior to the time
specified for the opening of RFP proposals, by a written and sealed notice received
by the Town of Douglas prior to the time and date set for opening of the proposals.
Proposal modifications must be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly marked with
the Respondent's name and the words, "Modification No. [X]"; where "[X]" indicates
the modification number for that particular Respondent. Each modification must be
numbered in sequence and must reference the original proposal.
X. PRE-BID CONFERENCE AND SITE WALK
The Town of Douglas will hold a pre-proposal meeting with prospective
Respondents to answer questions on the contents of this proposal on Tuesday, June
2, 2026, at 10:00 AM at the site, 11 Gleason Court, Douglas, MA. Questions will
not be answered on the telephone.
XI. TIME OF AWARD
The Town of Douglas shall award this contract within thirty (30) days after proposal
opening. The time for award may be extended for up to an additional thirty (30) days
after the date of the opening of the proposals by mutual agreement between the
Town and the highest responsive and responsible Respondent offering the most
advantageous proposal as determined by the Town Administrator.
XII. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS
The Town reserves the right to cancel or reject in whole or in part any or all
proposals; to waive any defects, informalities, and minor irregularities in any
proposals or offers received; to accept exceptions and to act otherwise if such action
as is determined to be in the best interest of the Town.