[MassHistPres] Need help saving bldg in LHD

[Robtsyoung at aol.com]

Colleagues,
 
The Sharon Historical Commission seeks help (and advice).  We have a  
(potentially) spectacular Colonial Revival building sitting in the center of  town 
that has been abandoned by the school department and then subsequent boards  of 
selectmen since 1981.  In 2004 Town Meeting, in an effort to both save  the 
building from further decay and to encourage the Selectmen to take action,  we 
overwhelmingly supported an Article to create a new Local Historic District  
which included this building, known as The Charles R. Wilber School (Wilber  
School), a Queen Anne style former school now being used as units of low income  
family housing, and a public park.
 
At issue is the Wilber School. Originally built in 1921 and with a 1927  
addition which won national recognition for the best architechture of a public  
building in the nation, it has been used as a high school, and intermediate  
school, a middle school and an elementary school.  It was also the sight of  many 
public forums and meetings it is in the heart of our community.  Each  year 
that passes the building has been subjected to external and internal  decay.  
It was sold and bought back in the early 1990's in a failed attempt  to build 
assisted living, and only recently has the community committed to  voting to 
spend monies to "button up" the building and/or abate hazardous  materials.
 
Within months of our triumph in creating the LHD the Selectmen appointed  the 
Wilber Reutilization Committee to explore opportunities as to what could be  
done with the building.  Though this committed group worked very hard for  
nearly two years, they stopped all plans a couple of months ago when a report  
which they ordered to be done by the Standing Building Committee came back from  
an architechtural firm.  Giving three scenarios with three costs in  
ascending order:  A)  abatement and stabilization; B) abatement and  demolition; C) 
abatement and partial demolition shoring up the significant  facade facing S. 
Main Street and the firm suggesting that the better alternative  is complete 
demolition, the Wilber Reutilization Committee voted 10 to 1 to  inform the 
Selectmen that they favored demolition of the Wilber School.
 
In the three weeks that have ensued the Mass. Historical Commission has  
advised us that the building should not be demolished due to its protection  under 
the Historic Districts Act and our Commission voted no to  demolition.  Four 
or five other town boards also favor demolition and the  Town Counsel has 
written to Selectmen saying that while the Historic District  Commission DOES have 
authority over the building, it can be overridden if the  Building Inspector 
feels that, due to public safety, the building should be  demolished.  The 
building has been secured (though there is no protective  fence around it) for at 
least 20 years.
 
MHC, even in the face of the legal opinion by Town Counsel, maintains that  
demolition should not be an option.  We have opinions from other architects  
saying that the building can be restored, we have spoken with developers who  
have indicated interest in bidding on an RFP (though none has been sent out by  
the Wilber Reutilization Committee, they have agreed to do so to see if there  
really is any interest).  My problem is that Town Meeting is in one  week.  
In a Special TM there is an Article requesting that the voters  allocate the 
funds for abatement and demolition and the Finance Committee  recommendation (to 
be made at TM), while in favor, is hinged upon a legal opion  from Town 
Counsel and a report from the Building Inspector - and you already  know where that 
is going.
 
Any suggestions as to the best way to handle this?  Does anyone know  of 
legal consel that would be willing to work with us pro bono?  We have an  annual 
budget of $650.  
 
Robert Young
Acting Chair
Sharon Historical Commission and Historic District  Commission