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Massachusetts

Leverett

Town of Leverett
9 Montague Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Town Clerk: (413) 548-9150
Tax Collector: (413) 548-9666
Assessor: (413) 548-4945
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Historical Commission Meeting

Monday, April 10, 2023, 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm
Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
A meeting of the Historical Commission

Meeting of Historical Commission

Members: (Quorum)

  • Absent: Edie Field, Honorary
  • Absent: Susan Lynton
  • Present: Ann Tweedy, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Sara Robinson, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Susan Mareneck, Chair, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Carole Desanti, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Anne Schuyler, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Eva Gibavic, at 7:00 PM

Also Present:

  • Linda Whiting

See original Agenda Approved Meeting Minutes

Meeting opened: 7:04 PM

Meeting closed: 8:50 PM

  1. Meeting Preliminaries

  2. LHC Business

    • Digital Archives - UPDATE -

      General Discussion...
      (Note: Linda Whiting will be visiting Leverett at the end of April. She would like to meet whoever is around and tour some of the places her Maynard and Glazier ancestors inhabited.)

      Charlotte M. (UMASS Public History grad student) will be taking a job at Mead Art Gallery at Amherst College. A replacement has been found. Though we have yet to reconcile the CPA grant accounts with the town, Ann Tweedy believes we can fund a grad student through the summer @ 10-20hrs./wk. and, depending on the hours paid, may finish up the current CPA grant.

      Ann Tweedy also has an archivist friend Bob who does digitization and could talk to IT (Brian Cooke/ Calm Computing) at Leverett about a digital interface for us with the town that could make some things available universally, others not. He told about share-ware: ''Rescarta'', that library science students like and can be catalogued. She will investigate and send a link to the program.

      Susan will follow up with Margie, town manager, after town meeting regarding ''social media policy''.

      Eva will follow up on purchasing back-up for our programs and related materials. She is thinking we can get 2 Terrabytes for under $200, which is what we have in the 2023 budget. Eva will coordinate with Pleun on backing up the LHC programs and materials. Right now she has set up a separate Google Drive account with an email address and password, which she will share with commissioners when things are posted.

    • Mission & Vision - Revisit Mission statement. Update timeline.

      General Discussion...
      Reviewing Mission statement draft by Anne Schuyler, w/edits by Susan Mareneck from 4/2021, the consensus was that the first paragraph remain the same, but the second paragraph be revised to read (though somme words are still in question):

      ''Historical assets are defined as encompassing the entire historic and cultural landscape, and may include artifacts or sites relating to geology, archaeology, (paleontology)?, architectural (the built environment), social and cultural practices and indigenous heritage.''

      Then a sentence introduces the activities the LHC initiates to achieve the mission:
      ''The activities of the Historical Commission encompass, but are not limited to the following:''

      In order for it to sound grammatically correct, the list of activities would need to begin with ''To...''

      ''1. To identify, research and inventory historical assets. (R) (I)
      2. To evaluate and advise on restoration, preservation, reuse, and development of historic assets. (R&P)
      3. To educate, engage, promote Leverett historical assets through interpretative programs, documentation, educational outreach. (E)
      4. To develop and assist in preservation planning partnering with other town committees and private residents. (R&P)
      5. To review, recommend, regulate as authorized in bylaws. (R)
      6. To facilitate access to public records. (C&E)
      7. To explore funding and grant opportunities in support of the above. (R&P)''

      These relate to the ''Timeline'' which spells out various activities undertaken by the Commission since 2011 while noting some that occurred prior to that date. The abbreviations relate to the Timeline color-coding for main activities: ''Research'', ''Inventory'', ''Educate'', ''Regulate'', ''Communicate & Engage'', ''Restore & Preserve''.

      There is a paragraph of ''vision-like language'' as well that could be incorporated. Susan M. will send Carole DeSanti today's changes and she will attempt to integrate the changes and refine the language for review at the May 2023 meeting. Revising the timeline may take longer, but we want to move in the direction of redesigning the LHC page on the town website to be more informational about the governmental function of the Historical Commission with Mission & Vision, minutes of meetings, spreadsheet of work we have done, etc... The ''Leverett History'' page on the town website can become a place with more descriptive visual content, story-telling, links to programs, etc... We might want to have a place where we could mount a digital ''exhibit''. Whether there is a link to a digital archive will depend on web-architecture worked out with the town.


    • Town website - Redesign Historical Commission page: add timeline and mission statement, links to programs, etc.. Possibility of using the ''Leverett History'' page as the interface for links to the LHC programming? Reference to ''places of interest'', such as mills, museums, Peace Pagoda, etc..

      General Discussion...
      (See above.)

  3. Preservation Planning for Historical Assets

    • Industrial History Programming - UPDATE - ''Sense of Where You Are: Getting to Know Leverett's Industrial Past'' Report on ''Embodied History'' conversation. Update on steps to initiate signage program.

      General Discussion...
      (Will update in May when Pleun returns.)

    • LHS Collection Inventory - LHS Collection Inventory - Moore's Corner Schoolhouse and Field Family Museum collections inventoried and digitized. Status? Next steps?

      General Discussion...
      (See ''Digital Archives...'' above.)

    • Preservation Planning - Preservation Planning for Leverett's Historical assets: Updates on: Field Family Museum Ad Hoc Committee; Moore's Corner School House (LHS); Friends of the North Leverett Sawmill ''Heritage Park & Nature Trail''; Rattlesnake Gutter Trust, Rattlesnake Gutter Road restoration

      General Discussion...
      The Historical Society will work with two designated reps from the CPC (Steve Ball and Steve Freedman) over the summer to issue an RFP over the summer for two bids on the scope of work needed at the Moore's Corner Schoolhouse. The proposal will be presented for approval at a special fall town meeting in 2023. Since the FONLS are applying in the CPC ''Recreation'' category, it is not a Historic Preservation project, though it has historical informational elements.

      The Field Library Ad Hoc Committee will not present anything before town meeting as they are waiting on a ''Wetlands Survey & Determination'', then the property will be evaluated for water resource and disposal options.

      Carole DeSanti spoke about the possibility of creating an audio history on religious and spiritual history in town for the 250th which might be presented as a timeline (w/ QR codes?) that would highlight the diversity through time. She will be collecting ideas and resources and plans to embark on this in the summer.

  4. Meeting Wrap-up

    • Next Meetings:
      1. Mon, May 8, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
      2. Thu, May 25, at 7:00 PM "LHC Web Subcommittee" -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
      3. Mon, Jun 12, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
      4. Mon, Jul 10, at 6:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- CANCELLED -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
      5. Mon, Aug 14, at 6:30 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
      6. Mon, Sep 11, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
    • Published! Meeting Closed at 8:50 PM.

The listing of matters is those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.

Minutes prepared by SM

Minutes approved on Tuesday, Jun 6, 2023