[MassHistPres] the merging of commissions

Tue Oct 20 16:14:46 EDT 2009

This is something I have thought a lot about.  In Newton there are 4 district commissions each for their own district (an unusual set up) and a historical commission.  I think merging Historical Commission and District Commission functions can be good in that it requires less volunteer and staff time to manage 1 commission.  However, I also feel that the functions of the two groups are very different.  Historical commissions in my mind are more proactive and when you have applications to review that are time sensitive, they will always take priority.  So preservation planning, education programs, surveys, and other important activities potentially get put off to deal with alterations in a historic district or demo delay review.  District commissions I also think should have a proactive element, but to a lesser extent as their scope is more defined.  Project review and other activies should be balanced in my mind.  I worry that 1 commission might be overwhelmed with project review, rather than having 2 commissions that both do a portion of project review and planning.  That being said, there are a lot of communities with 1 commission that are doing just fine with that set up.

Brian Lever

-----Original Message-----
From: Jonathan Feist <jfeist at charter.net>
To: Marisa Labozzetta <mlabo at comcast.net>
Cc: MHC MHC listserve <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Tue, Oct 20, 2009 2:38 pm
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] the merging of commissions

Hi Marissa, 

For what it's worth, Harvard has always been like that. I think the result, over the years, has been that it's often functioned exclusively as a HDC, as that's the more obvious mandate. Lately, we've been trying to bump up the HC role, to mixed reviews....  

--Jonathan

On Oct 20, 2009, at 2:32 PM, Marisa Labozzetta wrote:

Dear Members,

Our city is considering merging our Historic District Commission with our Historical Commission, primarily as a result of restructuring of staff. Right now we serve one historic district which is on the cusp of expansion. I would like to know if anyone has undergone this type of merger and, if so, how you managed the merger and what the final commission looks like.  What do you see as the pros and cons of such a merger, and what advice can you offer?

Marisa Labozzetta

Northampton Historic District Commission

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Jonathan Feist, Chair

Harvard Historical Commission

jfeist at charter.net • 978-772-4864

Blog: Delights and Processes

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