[MassHistPres] Annual Reporting to Mass Historic

[Gregory Zakarian]

I have to agree with Jonathan on this one.  We have a lot of projects going
on here in West Boylston, but it doesn't seem like we have the correct
amount of interaction with MHC.  We call on Chris and his team when we need
them, but other than that, not much is done.  I'm a big believer in a local
commission having a state commission to answer to and so on up the line.  It
would be difficult to set up a list of standards on which each town is
judged on, but it would be nice to have a little more contact and more input
on projects.

Greg Zakarian
Historical Commissioner
West Boylston, Ma

-----Original Message-----
From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu
[mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of Jonathan Feist
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 8:37 AM
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: [MassHistPres] Annual Reporting to Mass Historic

Here's a  brainstorm for a new annual procedure for all HCs. Maybe everyone
will hate the idea, but I would find it useful, personally.

What would you think about someone from the Mass Historic (i.e., Chris
Skelly) sending a checklist (or online survey) once per year to all HDCs,
requesting information such as the following:

1. Updated list of members.
2. Annual report of the year's activities, including a list of proposals and
modifications, any demo delay activity, etc.
3. Updates of any significant documents, such as changes to bylaws, rules &
procedures, design guidelines, maps...
4. Summary of any CPC projects done over the past year
5. Confirmation that all scenic roads and LHD homes have been looked at and
certified as being compliant with the law.
6. A free-form area to list other items of potential interest, such as new
housing in sensitive areas, issues relating to publicly-owned historic
buildings, and so on.
7. Maybe a survey to run by HC members, getting a general sense on things
like demo delay, HDC signage, sense of community support, or whatever.

And whatever else is top priority, though it can't become so obnoxiously
complex and time-consuming that we'd never do it.

Basically, I'd see this as a way to improve communication with the state,
to help keep us all on track regarding top priorities, and also to remind
all HC members that there are resources available to us regarding our work.

I think some kind of accountability might help spur some higher quality
activity, if the dynamic of many HCs is like that of mine. A little external
prodding could help us accomplish more.

And an annual guest visitor from the state (i.e., Chris Skelly...) would
make us feel so important and relevant.

Also, what about a state-sponsored annual meeting/retreat/training session
of HC chairs? Maybe, something regionally based would be best. Something
very focused, productive, and informative, with free lunch and a T-shirt.

--Jonathan


===============================================

Jonathan Feist, Chair
Harvard Historical Commission
978-772-4864 (home)
617-747-2148 (Berklee office)

Preserve Historical Harvard, MA:
http://harvard.ma.us/histcomm.htm



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