[MassHistPres] Historical Markers For Houses

[Charles Sternaimolo]

Hi Rafa,

In Fitchburg we have the homeowner write a check in the signmaker's name in
the exact amount of his fee. We facilitate the application and send the
check to the signmaker on the homeowner's behalf  We do not make a profit
from the cost of the sign.  As a bonus, we coordinated with our Historical
Society to include a one-year free membership with the purchase of a sign.
Hope this helps.

Charles Sternaimolo
Fitchburg Historical Commission

On Wed, Mar 11, 2020 at 10:49 AM Liebowitz, Jonathan J <
Jonathan_Liebowitz at uml.edu> wrote:

> In Littleton, we're asking homeowners to pay for their plaques though in
> the past the Commission has done so.  We've never heard that it would be a
> conflict of interest; I guess that issue just never came up.  We decided
> after some discussion to have property owners to pay because we thought if
> lots of them applied it would be a drain on our very modest budget.  We get
> them for about $60.  Price, of course, depends on size, materials, design,
> etc.
>
> Jonathan J. Liebowitz
>
> Littleton Historical Commission
>
>
> Jonathan J. Liebowitz
> History Department
> University of Massachusetts Lowell
> Lowell, MA  01854
> USA
> 978-934-2530
> ------------------------------
> *From:* MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu> on behalf of
> RafaelRobertDelfin <rafadello at gmail.com>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, March 10, 2020 9:14:56 PM
> *To:* MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
> *Subject:* [MassHistPres] Historical Markers For Houses
>
> *This e-mail originated from outside the UMass Lowell network.*
> ------------------------------
> Hello everyone,
>
> I launched a Historical Marker Program in my town, Dighton last year and I
> and other members of the Dighton Historical Commission have just approved
> the application of a resident whose house is over 100 years old and has a
> lot of historical significance.
>
> Initially, the Commission had voted to pay for the manufacture of the
> historical marker by using funds that the Town of Dighton had granted to
> the Commission. The average cost of a historical marker is $125. However,
> when the Town Administrator learned about this, she suggested that paying
> for the marker would be a conflict of interest (ergo, "unethical" and
> possibly "illegal'), and that the recipient should pay for the marker
> himself/herself. I have always thought that the Commission is acting on its
> own jurisdiction and that we have the right to use the funds as we see fit
> as long as it assists in the preservation of local history.
>
> I am addressing my questions to members of town historical commissions who
> grant historical markers to residents: "Do the recipients have to pay for
> the marker, or does your commission pay for it?" And would you
> agree/disagree with the Dighton Town Administrator's statement? I guess I
> am looking for a legitimate recourse to bring to the table when the Town
> Administrator attends our next meeting on April 10.
>
> Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Sincerely,
> --
> Rafa Delfin, Vice-Chair
> Dighton Historical Commission
> 774-766-2928
> rafadello at gmail.com
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>


-- 
Charles Sternaimolo
978-413-9319
charlessternaimolo at gmail.com
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