Historical Commission Meeting

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Meeting of Historical Commission

Members: (Quorum)

• Absent: Edie Field, Honorary
• Absent: Susan Lynton
• Absent: Anne Schuyler
• Present: Ann Tweedy, at 6:30 PM
• Present: Sara Robinson, at 6:30 PM
• Present: Susan Mareneck, Chair, at 6:30 PM
• Present: Eva Gibavic, at 6:30 PM

See original Agenda Final Minutes

Meeting opened: 6:30 PM

Meeting closed: 8:45 PM

0. Meeting Preliminaries

   • Meeting Opened / Attendance Taken (see above).

   • Minutes Approved: Mon, Jun 10 - Historical Commission Meeting

1. CPA - Reconnaissance

   • Tour CPA sites - (weather-permitting); rain date at August meeting 8/12/19. Not a business meeting.

     General Discussion...
     CPA-funded sites visited:
     - Beaman-Marvel Box Shop/ Leverett Crafts & Arts; toured with Mitch Mulholland.
     - Moore's Corner School House
     - Slarrow Sawmill, North Leverett Center
     - Old town garage
     
     Visual observations and photographs at each site. A report will be prepared and submitted to the Community Preservation Commission.
     
     Historical Commission members reviewed literature from Historic New England's Property Care White Papers on "Documentation: Site Assessments" and the Community Preservation Coalition's online resources on "Placing Preservation Restrictions on Historic Resources". The LHC will draft a template for yearly reviews of CPA-funded historic sites.

2. MHC - Archaeology requirements

   • Requirements - Next Steps

     General Discussion...
     Discussion about preservation restrictions.

3. History-related Cultural Events

   • Leverett 250 - Planning for "semiquincentennial" (or, "quartermillenial", or "sestercenternnial") in Leverett. Planning for September 15, 2019 gathering, 3-5pm Leverett Library.

     General Discussion...
     Several Historical Commission members will inventory the Bicentennial materials in the Town Hall vault prior to the August meeting. A plan to publicize the September 15th 250th "Kick-Off" event and a program for that afternoon will be discussed on 8/19/19.

   • Schooling in Leverett - "One-Room School House" Oral History Project. "Go Local..." MBLC grant update; transcriptions.

     General Discussion...
     The "Go Local" grant has been awarded to the Leverett Library and Historical Commission. More information will be available in August.

4. Strategic Planning for Historical Assets Survey

   • Historical Assets Survey Questionnaire - HAS Questionnaire - - Next steps -- Strategies for reporting findings - Funding possibilities - Present at Select Board, Finance, Revenue Committees, Conservation Commission; Library Trustees; Friends of Leverett Pond and ? Convene Economic Development Think Tank?

     General Discussion...
     LHC members will hold a Business Advisory gathering on August 1 to brainstorm possible historical preservation/ smart growth economic development ideas looking at comparable projects from other towns around the state and country.
     
     LHC members will update the Select Board on progress engaging the community to implement the desire for preservation of Leverett's rural culture as expressed in its historic landscapes and structures at their meeting on 8/6/19.
     
     LHC will present Historic Assets Survey results and next steps to the Revenue Committee on 8/27/19.
     
     

5. LHC - Schedules/ Meetings/ Duties

   • CPA Monitoring - Protocols for Historic Preservation Restrictions TBD

   • LHC Membership - LHC Vacancy

   • Town website - Update history section on Town website -"Leverett History" on town website

     General Discussion...
     Once 2019 Open Space Plan has been officially approved by the state.

6. Cemeteries

   • Cemetery Conservation

   • Individual Cemetery Issues - Leverett Cemetery Association; Town website corrections; 2017 Form E submissions - MHC offer to subsidize National Register applications for North and Hillsboro/Long Plain.

     General Discussion...
     MHC has engaged a firm, The Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc., from Pawtucket, RI, to do the research on Hillsboro, Long Plain and North Cemeteries. Michelle Johnstone is the researcher assigned to the Leverett Cemetery Project.

   • Veterans Recognition Project - Martha Lyon/Martha Lyon Landscape Architecture, LLC Final Report - Signage design.

     General Discussion...
     Bill Rathbun has proposed that the signage for the Veterans' Recognition Project be done in town. He will discuss the wrought iron work model we found online to see if it could be done here.

7. New Business

   • LHC Budget - Budget report

   • Opportunities

   • Reports

8. LHS

   • Brief update of activities

9. Meeting Wrap-up

   • Next Meetings:
     1. Mon, Aug 19, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Box Shop - starting location for tour of historical sites funded through Community Preservation Act
     2. Mon, Sep 9, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Box Shop - starting location for tour of historical sites funded through Community Preservation Act
     3. Mon, Oct 21, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Box Shop - starting location for tour of historical sites funded through Community Preservation Act
     4. Mon, Nov 18, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Box Shop - starting location for tour of historical sites funded through Community Preservation Act
     5. Mon, Dec 9, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Box Shop - starting location for tour of historical sites funded through Community Preservation Act
     6. Mon, Jan 13, at 7:00 PM "Historical Commission Meeting" -- Box Shop - starting location for tour of historical sites funded through Community Preservation Act

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, Sep 3, 2019