Quincy councilors debate $22.5 million proposal to acquire Eastern Nazarene College campus

Quincy City Council Finance Committee members on Thursday held a prolonged discussion over two council orders that would allow the city to acquire the Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) campus for $22,500,000.

Chair Jim Riley opened the session by reading an email from the solicitor that said ENC board chair David Bowser and college president Colin Durer offered to meet with councilors in groups of four to answer questions; the chair also said the administration and ENC counsel had exchanged messages about inspection and environmental reports. Riley said the committee would not take a vote Thursday and has scheduled a meeting for Monday, June 15 to consider formal action.

Councilor McGee, who visited the campus and attended a meeting with ENC officials, told colleagues she was told ENC would not extend the sale deadline and that the board did not disclose the number of other interested parties. McGee said the board described carrying costs of roughly $250,000 per month and confirmed the existence of a comprehensive environmental report but described difficulty locating it in the materials provided to councilors. “They did say it was clean,” she said of the environmental review, while also noting equipment on the campus had been disposed of in what residents described as a “fire sale.”

Councilor Yuan asked whether the council or the administration had access to the inspection and environmental reports; ENC counsel responded by email that ENC has no obligation to give city council copies, and solicitor Timmons said he would follow up with ENC’s lawyer about confidentiality. Chair Riley told the committee the administration may already hold the report and asked the solicitor and Mr. Walker in the administration to clarify who has access.

Several councilors pressed for more detail before authorizing any purchase. President Mahoney framed the discussion as a fiscal judgment, saying the city must weigh potential benefits against Quincy’s existing debt load and the possibility that projected revenues or sales of other properties might not materialize. “We have $1,800,000,000 in debt,” he said, urging sensitivity analyses (floor/ceiling scenarios) and stronger guarantees to protect taxpayers.

Other councilors emphasized community values and the neighborhood impact of any redevelopment. Councilor McGee and colleagues urged preserving open space, trees and community uses — libraries, arts and athletic facilities — and warned that current plans show a substantial portion of the campus slated for sale or lease to private developers. Several members proposed oversight measures to retain council control over future steps: periodic oversight committee reports, explicit council approvals for transfers of funds and sales of individual parcels, and zoning tools such as PUDs or overlays to protect community uses.

No formal action was taken Thursday. Chair Riley reiterated that outreach and information-gathering — especially clarity on who has access to the environmental and inspection reports, and more detailed fiscal sensitivity work — are expected to make the June 15 meeting more efficient. The administration was asked to confirm whether the administration already received the inspection materials and to produce any additional documentation it can share with councilors ahead of Monday’s vote.

What happens next: The committee is scheduled to meet Monday, June 15 to consider the two council orders formally. If the council votes to proceed, subsequent steps will return frequently to the City Council for approvals tied to financing, subdivision and sale/lease approvals that councilors say should include explicit protections for neighborhood uses.