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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
Town Hall Fax: (413) 548-1035
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Historical Commission meeting

Monday, March 11, 2024, 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: Sara Robinson
  • Present: Susan Mareneck, Chair, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Ann Tweedy, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Carole Desanti, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Susan Lynton, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Anne Schuyler, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Eva Gibavic, at 7:00 PM

Also Present:

  • Pleun Bouricius

See original Agenda Final Minutes

Meeting opened: 7:08 PM

Meeting closed: 9:03 PM

  1. Meeting Preliminaries

  2. Preservation Planning for Historical Assets

    • HC Budget line proposal - Discuss presentation to Selectboard and Finance on 2/27/24.

      General Discussion...
      Question arose about whether the Finance Committee could reach out to the Community Preservation Commission to request that they use their administrative funds to support 5-year cycle of conditions assessments for previously funded historic preservation investments. Ann Tweedy stated that Stuart Saginor of the Community Preservation Coalition does nto believe that administrative funds can be used for conditions assessments. This year the cemeteries are the focus of our request. Since they were once the province of the town, would that make a difference? Should we ask the CPC to support our request to the town for funds to do conditions assessments this year?

      Several of our historic assets in which the town has previously given CPA funds to preserve, do not need the Historical Commission to do a conditions assessment now because they have raised their own funding to do the same.

      The most important argument is for the establishment of a process/protocol by which historic assetts in which the town has invested CPA funds be on a regular 5-year evaluation process so that maintenance and needed repairs can be done in a timely manner and not neglected until an unnecessary scale of re-investment is needed.
      Discuss points to be made at town meeting to explain the need for a smart strategy to prevent neglect in April meeting.

      1. Historic_Preservation_and_Residential_Property_Val_1_1.pdf
      2. Economic_Impacts_v5-FINAL.pdf
      3. 2005_Study_-_Economics_of_HistPreserv_MasonUPenn20050926_preservation.pdf

    • HPR Monitoring - Archiving the annual monitoring reports on CPA funded historic preservation projects in Leverett.

      1. TOWN_OF_LEVERETT_HISTORIC_PRESERVATION_CPA__2005-22.docx

    • Industrial History Programming - UPDATE - Scheduling CPA-funded programming: ASOWYA (''A Sense of Where You Are: Getting to Know Leverett's Industrial Past'') 1. Embodied History: Charcoal Talk presentation June 2024 (public); choose date/venue; Update on'Timber Industry' - February 10, 2024 conversation. 2. ''Signage'': Update - Pleun and others.

      General Discussion...
      Discussion about a date/location/ time for the public presentation of the Charcoal Talk filmed in February 2023. Venue could be town hall, library or LCA. Pleun will write up a description for us to approve. We can post on the website and communicate with the town via town newsletter (June 1), LevConnects, Friday Post, Library newsletter and a press release? If Saturday's are not available at the viable locations or when Eva is in town, should we try for a Thursday afternoon 4-6? It would be good to pin down so we could invite the 'Charcoal Experts' to put it in their calendars.

      It appears that the signs now need to be 24x36' in order to have a readable font with a bit of historical interest delineated. Pleun will do sign drafts and post a link for us to read over and edit what she has included. The main emphasis will be on different aspects of industrial history eg. 'many owners', etc... Once the language has been approved, then we will talk to owners. The signs will be made at Sunraise Printing in Hadley and will be mounted on standard street signposts. This is more convenient than the distant fabricator in case of damage, the sign can be reprinted locally. Agreed to do one first to test the quality. Should the test case be Graves' Ironworks?

    • LHS Collection Inventory - LHS Collection Inventory - Update on Moore's Corner Schoolhouse and Field Family Museum collections inventory and digitization. Example of ''Jan'', researcher who used the collections during the summer.

  3. LHC Business

    • Leverett 250th in 2024 - Leverett 250th Anniversary update: April events: 4/10 - Marge Bruchac, 'Recovering Native. Histories Along the Kwinnitekw' (LES); Eva Gibavic, Exhibit at the Library and talk about her book on Brushy Mountain 4/20. Historical Commission float in 250th parade?

      General Discussion...
      The On Native Land group is proposing to put a sign in the original native language along the Sawmill River in North Leverett. The HC expressed the hope that they will work with property owners and the town (Historical Commission as the town's historical authority) in this effort.

    • Town website - Update on redesign of Historical Commission page on town website. Links to 250th?

  4. Access to Historical Commission meetings -

  5. New Business

    • National 250th Anniversary - Begin discussion of LHC interest/involvement in national semiquincentennial in 2026. Leverett has several 'witness properties' (Field Tavern, Slarrow Sawmill and Hubbard Tavern?).

      1. 7-MakingHistoryat250FieldGuide.pdf

    • Update on Leverett's Historic Properties - Friends of the North Leverett Sawmill and ''Heritage Site & Nature Trail''(FONLS) Rattlesnake Gutter Trust (RGT), Rattlesnake Gutter Road restoration update Field Family Museum Ad Hoc Committee; Moore's Corner School House (LHS); and Field Tavern.

      General Discussion...
      The Field Tavern fate is as yet unknown, rumors abound about whether taxes have been paid or not, etc.. Abutters were notified that the family (Baystate Foresters) will be logging the adjacent 70 acres. We should contact the tax collector again for an update. Also see who we can contact in the family besides the members who have not responded in 6 months. Should we also contact the Affordable Housing Trust? Leverett BOH? Planning Board?

      The issue of 'Demolition By Neglect' is becoming well-known. What kind of research can we do on this topic? The Blinn House in Moore's Corner is another candidate.

  6. Meeting Wrap-up

    • Next Meetings:
      1. Mon, Apr 8, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission meeting" -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
      2. Mon, May 13, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission meeting" -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
      3. Mon, Jun 10, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
      4. Mon, Jul 8, at 6:00 PM "Historical Commission Annual CPA Monitoring " -- CANCELLED -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
      5. Mon, Aug 12, at 6:00 PM "Historical Commission meeting" -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556
      6. Mon, Sep 9, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Online only: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86125147556

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, May 7, 2024