[MassHistPres] Need help saving bldg in LHD

[Marcia Starkey]

If the building can receive an occupancy permit, and the goal is to have it 
used, why not offer free use to any party who would follow the historic 
curatorship model under a new HSR if the current assessment isn't 
trustworthy? Would the town agree to this? I may have missed the relevant 
details. Marcia Starkey, Greenfield
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Robtsyoung at aol.com>
To: <Masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 10:33 AM
Subject: [MassHistPres] Need help saving bldg in LHD


> 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
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