Minutes of the Princeton Historical Commission
August 18, 2011
Town Hall Annex, 7 PM
Attendees: Joyce Anderson, Sheila Dubman, Joe Lee, Matt Lindberg and Alex Fiandaca.
Members approved minutes from the meeting on June 16th, 2011.
Schoolhouse No. 5
On July 14, 2011 Sheila received a call from the owner of 96 Ball Hill Road requesting her signature on a demolition permit. Sheila requested that the owner meet with the Historical Commission. A meeting was posted for July 27, 2011 at 7PM. Sheila, Joe, Joyce, Alex, John Wilson, Phil Mighdoll and property owner Steven Gelman were in attendance. A history of the schoolhouse was provided to all parties in advance of the meeting. Mr. Gelman described his plan to place a modular home on the site and after some discussion expressed his willingness to consider keeping the schoolhouse on site as well. Members conveyed the possibility of preservation grants/tax incentives and National Register listing. John Wilson indicated that an engineer’s report of the condition of the schoolhouse is critical to determine
whether or not the building is salvageable. He also noted that there are still more steps required of Mr. Gelman in the building permit process, regardless of the Commission’s desire to avoid demolition of the schoolhouse.
Sheila further investigated the Historic Homeowner Residential Tax Credit bill and learned from its sponsor that it was unlikely to become a reality. Sheila relayed this information to Mr. Gelman immediately.
Recently Mr. Gelman notified Sheila that he has obtained an engineer’s report on the condition of Schoolhouse No.5. Sheila is awaiting that report.
Members agreed that meeting with Mr. Gelman was a constructive and further demonstrated the value of pursuing preservation tax incentives on the town level.
Wachusett Mountain National Register Nomination
Joyce received a letter from MHC’s legal counsel who took issue with designating the Wachusett Ski Area as noncontributing to the nomination. Joyce and Joe O’Brien are continuing to pursue the matter. Sheila suggested seeking Lt. Gov. Tim Murray’s assistance and will confer with Harriett Chandler before doing so.
Meetinghouse Cemetery Inmate Workshop
Work gloves, shovels and a wheelbarrow will be needed for the workshop scheduled for Sept 26 and 27th. Gravel and sand are also needed which Alex will deliver.
Joyce suggested asking John Lebeaux if the town could cover the cost of lunch for the inmates. Sheila will inquire if this cost could be covered by the town treasury instead of the Commission’s budget. (The workshop fee of $600 will come from the Meetinghouse Cemetery restoration funds.)
PHC, August 18, 2011, page 2
Mechanics Hall
Alex suggested that the Commission start thinking about preservation restrictions for Mechanics Hall. Mechanics Hall is the first priority of the newly formed Underutilized Town Asset Committee. The Committee will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, September 13th at 6:30 to discuss Mechanics Hall.
Michael Steinitz is the MHC contact for preservation restrictions however he has been nonresponsive to phone calls in the past. Alex found a power point presentation of Mr. Steinitz’s online, which provides an overview of the process and will forward to members. According to the power point, review of preservation restrictions by MHC takes at least three months.
Joyce noted that Bagg Hall and the Library have preservation restrictions which could be used as a guide.
East Princeton Village Overlay District
Alex expressed concerns over the proposed EPVOD specifically in terms of the potential detriment to historic homes in East Princeton. The EPVOD allows the Planning Board to waive existing zoning requirements including lot size, frontage and setbacks, which could put older homes at risk of demolition. The majority of towns that have adopted this type of zoning (termed “Village Center Zoning” by MHC) also have local historic districts and demolition delay bylaws in place. Without such safeguards the EPVOD could easily erode the character of the East Princeton Village Historic District.
Members agreed to request a meeting with the Planning Board to express concerns over the EPVOD. Sheila requested Alex put concerns in writing so that a letter could be drafted to the Planning Board.
Benjamin Holden
Sheila received a request from John Wilson on behalf of an acquaintance for information pertaining to Col. Benjamin Holden. Sheila suggested Blake’s History of Princeton (available online) as well as the Woodward Room in the library. Col. Benjamin Holden is buried in Meetinghouse Cemetery and he built the home at 57 Calamint Hill Road South. Joyce has photographs of both his house and gravestone.
Worcester State Hospital Clock Tower
Joyce had previously alerted members to the proposed demolition of the Worcester State Hospital Clock Tower to make way for the construction of a new mental health facility. Members voted to approve Sheila’s letter of support for the clock tower, noting its cultural and architectural value as well as the long-term economic value of preservation. Sheila will forward to the addressees provided by Preservation Worcester.
Merriam Road Tree Hearing
Joe alerted members to the proposed removal of twelve trees along on Merriam Road. The location of the trees (inside the utility lines) makes them a target for removal by PMLD policy, however, in the past these utility lines were specifically moved outside the trees and on to private property to accommodate the trees. Merriam Road is of particular interest to PMLD because it connects Sterling Road (location of school/emergency shelter) to Mountain Road (access to higher voltage). It has been also been argued that removing the trees will facilitate Broadband installation.
A tree hearing will be held during the Selectmen’s meeting Monday, August 29th.
Next Meeting: September 22, Town Hall Annex, 7PM
Respectfully submitted, Alex Fiandaca
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