Whately Center School Committee Plans Festival Outreach to Boost RFI Response

WHATELY -- May 11, 2026, Whately Center School Committee maps outreach strategy as RFI draws three early inquiries. The committee, which is seeking to identify potential partners for the reuse of the Center School building, spent its May 11 meeting coordinating a table at the upcoming town spring festival and planning materials for the June 2 annual town meeting, agreeing to produce flyers, a banner, and a bowl of candy to draw passersby. A member reported that three organizations have so far requested the committee's Request for Information document, two preschools and a cleaning company, while a meeting with Aaron Vega, the new president of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Corporation, was set for May 26 to generate further interest. Press releases submitted to the Recorder and the Gazette had not yet drawn responses. The committee agreed that grant applications, including potential historic tax credits and the state underutilized properties program, remain premature until the RFI process yields enough responses to indicate a clear use direction for the building.