Former mayor Tim Kreischer defends past redevelopment, urges full record on Green Acres dispute

Former mayor Tim Kreischer addressed the commission for an extended public presentation, criticizing what he called a "mean‑spirited tirade" against him, defending the city’s prior conversion of an ice rink into a library and cultural arts space and urging a fact‑based review of Green Acres concerns.

Kreischer told the commission he believed the state would have approved a formal diversionary use for the library conversion and that the redevelopment work retained the property in public ownership and expanded public use. He said he had secured state funding and that no Green Acres objections had been raised during his administration.

Kreischer also addressed social‑media disputes and allegations he had spread misinformation about the Veteran Avenue School building's status. He said his posts expressed concern about possible future residential reuse and clarified that, in his view, any substantive change would require the developer to return to city review and the planning board. "Nowhere in my post did I say the developer could unilaterally change the use of the Veteran Avenue School Building or demolish the building without returning to the city," he said in the transcript.

Commissioner Langrath responded to a question about whether a developer could change a permitted use without further approvals, telling Kreischer that "site plan approval runs with the land" and that developers would have to return to the planning board for changes that are not already permitted by the site plan.

Kreischer also cited a state audit that identified deficiencies in the lifeguard pension program in prior years; he said those findings involved noncompliance with statutes and disclosure issues and asked for consistent public accounting and corrective action.

Kreischer concluded by urging a fact‑based public review and said he welcomed further discussion and records review to resolve outstanding questions.

The exchange consisted largely of Kreischer's extended remarks, a brief procedural reply from a commissioner about land‑use approvals, and acknowledgement from the mayor and commissioners.