North Wales approves future tenants for former church

 After more than a year of renovations, North Wales now has two future users on board for the town’s planned arts and cultural center at 125 N. Main St.

Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to approve a lease agreement with one tenant, and a formal contract with another and said some space could be occupied within weeks.

“This is one user, and we’ll still have the other room as our nonprofit flex space, so that’ll be available for anyone who wants to contact us and utilize it. It’s a designated area within the nonprofit space that will be rented full-time,” said Borough Manager Christine Hart.

The former church and adjacent office building at 125 N. Main St. have been discussed since late 2016 when the council bought both as the church faced declining membership and growing maintenance costs. In the years since, the office space has been rented for art classes and use by local nonprofits, and the church area hosted several public concerts after the St. Luke’s United Church of Christ congregation held their final services there in April 2022.

That month, the council began talks on a project to renovate and update both buildings, including upgraded HVAC systems, accessibility upgrades, natural gas heat instead of oil, and conversion into flexible space for shared use by local nonprofits or agencies to provide services in a local setting during emergencies like the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grants were secured in July and October 2022, and that September the town hired an outside consultant to oversee and detail the energy efficiency portions of the project. In June 2023 council awarded a $2.7 million contract for that firm to oversee the renovations and energy upgrades for a project expected to run through 2024; last fall council discussed who would manage that center and plan and oversee those who use it, and in April council applied for a grant to cover the cost of interior furnishings.

    Rendering of a widened first-floor lobby and entrance of the borough-owned former church at 125 N. Main Street in North Wales.
 North Wales Borough   

Those first users became official on Tuesday night, as the council approved a lease agreement with the Partnership TMA of Montgomery County for part of the classroom space, and a contract with AAC Event Catering, a Bustard Road-based company that caters events across the region.

The lease agreement with the TMA specifies that the nonprofit will use 775 square feet in a first-floor classroom, carries a three-year term starting this October, and spells out rent costs and payment terms. Hart and borough solicitor Greg Gifford said that the contract was discussed by the council in an executive session following their Aug. 13 meeting, and the manager said the new agreement builds on a long relationship between the borough and the TMA, with more amenities — and modes of transit — in the borough than the nonprofit's current site on Bethlehem Pike in Montgomery Township offers.

"We have the train, we have the bicycles, we have the walkability, we have the (SEPTA Route) 96 bus line. We did a walkability study with the TMA years ago, and what can you do in a 10-minute walk from North Wales? Everything, from buying a postage stamp to getting a gallon of milk, to getting your shoes repaired," Hart said.

Council President Sal Amato asked several questions about specifics in the contract language before the council vote, and Gifford said the contract was based on a standard commercial lease agreement, then vetted by his firm and both sides. PTMA declined to comment Wednesday, saying their board would likely finalize the agreement and make an announcement within the next few days.

    Rendering of an expanded second-floor banquet area in the borough-owned former church at 125 N. Main Street in North Wales.
 North Wales Borough   

The second contract, with the catering company, covers the banquet hall area and tasks the company with providing "catering, event planning, and management services for events held at the venue." Councilman Sherwin Collins asked how the exclusivity provisions in the contract would apply, and Assistant Manager Alex Turock said the contract would allow ACC to advertise the building on their list of venues available for weddings and other events catered by the company.

"If the borough wants to hold a concert in there, that's separate from this agreement," Turock said.

Hart added that per the terms of the contract, ACC would prepare their food offsite, and be responsible for getting the area ready beforehand and cleaning up after.

"They prepare everything offsite, and bring it table-ready to the venue. They are in several unique or historic venues throughout the region," she said.

"Our facility will be added to this list as an option for their clients: whether it's for a bridal shower, a baby shower, a wake. If they were to have a small wedding, they would have to utilize two different contracts: one to rent the performance space-slash-chapel space, and then the reception would be presumably in the banquet hall area," Hart said.

    Construction equipment and scaffolding can be seen during renovations inside the former church and office building at 125 N. Main Street in North Wales.
 North Wales Borough   

Councilman Mark Tarlecki asked if the contract covered recycling along with trash, and Hart said the facility would likely use trash containers similar to those used at other borough sites, with both trash and recycling covered. Councilwoman Wendy McClure said she recently attended a wedding put on by the same company, to rave reviews.

"The food preparation was beautiful, the layout of the table was beautiful, and it was well taken care of. And the food was absolutely delicious. They were really on the ball, with making sure that everything was top-notch. So I'm really happy that we're going to be working with these folks," she said.

Collins then asked how the food and supplies would be delivered, and Hart said there would be a small area at the rear of the banquet hall for such deliveries once the renovations were done. Amato then asked about furnishings within the facility, and Hart said the grant application approved by the council in April could cover those costs if the town is awarded a grant, and the expense could be covered by the town's capital equipment budget if not. Amato then asked about the contract language around maintaining the furniture and who would cover the costs if any are damaged, and Hart said the insurance and liability coverage in the contract protects the town.

"Typically, if something were to occur, they would gladly replace it, rather than us contacting their insurance company," she said.

How soon could either use the space? The TMA could start to occupy their space as soon as October, depending on the pace of renovations there, and the caterer could begin using the other part of the site early next year, according to the manager. The next steps for public approval could include vetting and then contracting with a similar operator for musical performances or concerts in the former church area, she said, and the facility could be ready for "some type of grand opening" in spring 2025.

North Wales Borough Council next meets at 7 p.m. on Sept. 10 at the borough municipal building, 300 School St. For more information visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org.

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