SAUGUS — Saugus TV wants the town to call a Special Town Meeting to ask for more than $1 million to bring the organization into its next chapter.
The town’s public, education and government access provider is requesting the money be transferred into an enterprise fund to pay for the construction of a new studio, equipment and operating expenses.
“We have to build a studio,” said Al DiNardo, president of the SCTV Board of Directors. “That’s part of our agreement with Comcast. If we don’t have that, it could be a breach. I really don’t want to give them an excuse to end our contract.”
The organization has occupied space at the rear of Saugus High School for more than a decade, but the building is slated to be torn down once the new $160 million middle-high school is completed in 2020.
In an effort to relocate, the board looked into renting and buying various commercial spaces, but found it to be too expensive, said DiNardo. Instead, a deal was made with the Saugus Historical Society.
If Town Meeting approves the proposed articles, about $550,000 would be transferred from a Saugus Community Television Fund to the enterprise account and used to construct a new studio in the Saugus Historical Society building on Main Street. An additional $275,000 would be used to upgrade equipment.
Money in the Saugus Community Television, Inc. Fund is generated by collecting a percentage of cash from residents’ cable bills, said DiNardo.
A single-story, 2,200 square-foot-wing with sound proofing, special lighting and the required ceiling height to accommodate a lighting rack would be added to the back of the structure, said DiNardo.
About a third of the building would be used as common space between SCTV and the Historical Society. It would include bathrooms and a kitchen.
As part of the agreement, SCTV would help the Historical Society pay for the building’s expenses.
“We have plans and right now we can’t pay any bills,” said DiNardo. “We have an architect we need to pay.”
The organization will also need $215,000 to cover operating expenses until June 2020, said DiNardo. Next year, it will operate on a Fiscal Year budget rather than a calendar year budget.
Selectmen will decide whether to call a Special Town Meeting at Wednesday night’s meeting.
