[MassHistPres] Demo by neglect bylaw violation by the town

[Elizabeth Ware]

So sad.
Ironically, when the design portion of the project started, the architect would not take my suggestions of saving some of the spaces as is.  He wanted to gut the building, put in steel, really destroy the character of the interior.  Eventually, as the project moved forward, the development team hired their own preservation consultant, who understood my suggestions and pushed for their implementation.  In the end, those suggestions saved money and  created some really interesting spaces.

You are right Craig…………push early and push often.  I’m always amazed at how ill-informed most people are on the merits of old buildings.

(This is coming from a person with a preservation background who is presently restoring the remains of a 1671 house, a 1780s cape attached to it and a 1730s barn with an 1800 “new” addition to it!)

Keep up the vision!

Betsy Ware

From: Craig Dalton [mailto:cdalton at maritime.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, September 1, 2021 11:53 AM
To: Elizabeth Ware <eware at dracutma.gov>
Cc: anne forbes <anneforbes at verizon.net>; mastermasonmcgrath at gmail.com; masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Demo by neglect bylaw violation by the town


[EXTERNAL] This message originated from outside the Town of Dracut. Use caution when opening attachments, clicking links or responding to requests for information.
The Kingston Historical Commission also tried to save one of our early "modern" schools on Maple Ave.  It too was used for years by the town as an ancillary building
then abandoned, with files and equipment strewn about.  Neighbors started complaining and by the time the Commission was able to acquire supporters for affordable housing, plans and some funding,
with the rest to come from CPA, the neighbors wanted nothing of it.  They wanted it down, and the Selectmen at that time, instead of supporting a project that would have provided two affordable units and put a
preservation restriction on the exterior,  went with the vocal residents.  The Demo Delay kicked in.  The selectmen locked us out of the building, and after our waiting period, the building was demolished on site,
with records and equipment buried too.  Now there is a small vacant lot in the neighborhood.  It was supposed to be a playground, but now just provides access to the Police Station back lot.

Lesson learned is DON'T WAIT until it deteriorates too much before seeking new use and cash for that use.

Craig Dalton
Chair, Kingston Historical Commission

On Sat, Aug 28, 2021 at 7:06 AM Elizabeth Ware <eware at dracutma.gov<mailto:eware at dracutma.gov>> wrote:
The Town of Dracut had the 1905 Dracut Centre School, which was built as a four-room school house.  The original interior is untouched, the chalkboards still in place and coat hooks and built in oak benches still in place.  A terrific building that the Town did not spend a dime of for over two decades and commonly used the building for fire dept. training.  I was told by many to get a wrecking ball to the site, but the building is solid, with a Monson black slate roof and strong foundation.

When I started working in Dracut 6 years ago, one of my first tasks was to figure out what to use the school for.  Ideally, it should have been a maker’s space or eastern office for the Council on Aging but the Town Manager interceded and deemed that it was going to be nine units of affordable housing, with veteran’s preference.

The project is underway with a $2.8 Small Scale Community grant from DHCD, a $200k Housing Choice grant and a $1.2M grant from the Dracut Community Preservation Committee.  The town gave the building, assessed at almost $400k, to the developer for a dollar.

In addition to these funds, the developer has secured a lot of funds in state historic tax credits………………..all good news.

The bad news from an affordable housing perspective is that the state is allowing the cost for each unit to be about $550k!

I’m sure that the renovation will come out well and will be well maintained over the years…. And it beats the wrecking ball!

Betsy Ware

Director of Community Development
Town of Dracut, Ma.
Tel: 978-453-4557

From: MassHistPres [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu>] On Behalf Of anne forbes
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2021 10:05 AM
To: mastermasonmcgrath at gmail.com<mailto:mastermasonmcgrath at gmail.com>; masshistpres at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Demo by neglect bylaw violation by the town


[EXTERNAL] This message originated from outside the Town of Dracut. Use caution when opening attachments, clicking links or responding to requests for information.
These are excellent questions.  I can sympathize, because here in Acton our town-owned Morrison Farm, with its early 1930s farmhouse and barn, is in a similar situation.  Unfortunately, though, town-owned buildings are specifically exempt from our Demo. Delay Bylaw.

So that example can't help you..  But in your negotiations with the town, you will probably be discussing possible funding sources for a rehab., and new uses for the building. Here are two in the Lunenberg area:  Several years ago the 1920s Acton High School was rehabbed for housing by a developer who worked with the Acton Community Housing Corporation, placed it on the National Register, and used both(?) state and federal preservation tax credits to fund the rehab. You may also get some inspiration, at least, by checking with the Groton Historical Commission about their 1870s/1920s Groton High School building.  It was placed on the National Register about ten years ago and was in use then, but I haven't heard how it's been treated or managed since.   I'm sure the NR-listing at least opened up possibilities for preservation grant funding.

Anne Forbes
Acton


-----Original Message-----
From: Richard McGrath <mastermasonmcgrath at gmail.com<mailto:mastermasonmcgrath at gmail.com>>
To: Masshistpres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>>
Sent: Wed, Aug 25, 2021 10:44 pm
Subject: [MassHistPres] Demo by neglect bylaw violation by the town
Greetings! The town of Lunenburg has a vacant 1929 brick high school that has been vacant for 10 years, or so, and has been undergoing demolition by neglect because the town has refused to properly mothball the building. Demolition by Neglect is a violation of the town bylaw. The Selectboard says that they can't properly mothball the building because the public has not authorized them to spend the money to do so.

My questions are, can a town be in violation of its own law? Is there some way that they can be held accountable? Is there anything that the state can do? If a town can just disregard its own bylaws and continue on as it pleases, or as it is dictated to by the public, what is the purpose of having the law? A citizen cannot disregard the law. How is it that a selectboard can?

Has anyone had an experience with a situation like this.

Regards,

Richard McGrath, Chair
Lunenburg APDC
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