Town Meeting Votes In Favor of St. James Land Purchase

Despite a meeting with discussions that ran late into the night, Town Meeting voted in favor of purchasing the land on which St. James The Great Church sits.

Buying the property located at 900 Worcester St. from the Archdiocese of Boston will cost the town $3.8 million – some from the Community Preservation Committee and some through borrowing – and was made official with a standing vote of 183 for and 12 against. The motion needed two-thirds of the vote to carry.

Selectman Don McCauley explained that potentially 62.5 percent of the 8-acre property would be dedicated to fields, while the remaining 37.5 percent could be used for buildings.

Several officials refered to the potential purchase as a "one-time opportunity" for the town.

The town has to build a recreation center on the site. Parishioners at the closed church have held a vigil since it was closed in 2004. This group is in the process of the latest decision by the Vatican to uphold the Archdiocese of Boston's ruling to close the church.