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Massachusetts

Leverett

Town of Leverett
9 Montague Road
Leverett, MA 01054
Town Clerk: (413) 548-9150
Tax Collector: (413) 548-9666
Assessor: (413) 548-4945
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Historical Commission Meeting

Monday, June 10, 2019, 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm
Town Hall
A meeting of the Historical Commission

Meeting of Historical Commission

Members: (Quorum)

  • Absent: Edie Field, Honorary
  • Present: Ann Tweedy, at 7:15 PM
  • Present: Sara Robinson, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Susan Mareneck, Chair, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Susan Lynton, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Anne Schuyler, at 7:00 PM
  • Present: Eva Gibavic, at 7:00 PM

See original Agenda Approved Meeting Minutes

Meeting opened: 7:10 PM

Meeting closed: 9:05 PM

  1. Meeting Preliminaries

  2. MHC - Archaeology requirements

    • Requirements - Next Steps

      General Discussion...
      Eva contacted and met with a representative of the archaeological firm hired by Eversource to conduct an assessment relative to their work of the powerline between East Leverett Road and Moores Corner. She provided some historical background information. Given the level of work completion on the powerline replacement project, it was unclear as to the firm's next steps. She will follow up with firm and with MHC.

      Eva will proceed with outfitting the file LHC cabinet in Town Hall so it can be locked and then contact MHC to ask for the state archaeological records to be sent.

  3. History-related Cultural Events

    • Leverett 250 - Planning for "semiquincentennial" (or, "quartermillenial", or "sestercenternnial") in Leverett. Planning for September 15, 2019 gathering, 3-5pm Leverett Library.

      General Discussion...
      The idea of the September gathering at the library from 3-5pm on Sunday 15 September, is to form an ad hoc committee to begin planning for the 250th. We will have archival materials from previous anniversaries on display (Bicentennial film, quilt, flag, seal, ceramics, photographs, 200th anniversary edition in the Greenfield Recorder as well as historic items from the 150th, etc.). Is the Bicentennial film the same as was shown at Gordon King's memorial? Eva and Susan will check the vault. During the summer months, LHC members will visit various faith communities in town and other venues to listen to ideas and encourage attendance on 9/15/19. A suggestion of a "truck parade" was made in conversation at Town Meeting. Would it be helpful to create a Power Point presentation to have at the 9/15 gathering?

    • Schooling in Leverett - "One-Room School House" Oral History Project. "Go Local..." MBLC grant update; transcriptions.

      General Discussion...
      No word yet on "GO Local" grant. If we receive funding, Ann Tweedy reports that Prof. Sam Redman from UMASS Oral History Project offered that some of his students might want to help transcribe the interviews. It would be the next step in creating a publication for 2024 250th Anniversary.

  4. Strategic Planning for Historical Assets Survey

    • Historical Assets Survey Questionnaire - HAS Questionnaire - - Next steps -- Strategies for reporting findings - Funding possibilities - Present at Select Board, Finance, Revenue Committees, Conservation Commission; Library Trustees; Friends of Leverett Pond and ? Convene Economic Development Think Tank?

      General Discussion...
      Pleun Boricius is working with LHC to plan events to engage the community in planning for sustainable ways to preserve our historical assets. She has created a timeline and a Letter of Interest for a MAHumanities Discussion Grant. She will plan to attend an LHC meeting this summer to discuss. One part of the strategy is to engage landowners along the Sawmill River to ask them to share history and knowledge of archaeological remains, as well as to bring a speaker to talk about 18th/19th industrial history highlighting Leverett's industrial past. A suggestion was made that possibly some of the research might lead to an exhibit at the Moore's Corner School House Museum. The new "Revenue Committee" has asked SL/SM and possibly PB to present some of the ideas for economic development based on adaptive reuse of historical assets while maintaining the historical landscapes and the rural character of Leverett once Susan Lynton has returned.

  5. LHC - Schedules/ Meetings/ Duties

    • CPA Monitoring - Protocols for Historic Preservation Restrictions and set date for monitoring review (July mtg?)

      General Discussion...
      We will meet at the Box Shop on 7/8 @ 6:30pm to travel to the various sites funded by CPA funding (Town Garage, tomb on Rattlesnake Gutter, cemeteries conserved by TaMara Conde, Slarrow Sawmill, Moore's Corner School House.)

      A subcommittee of Susan M, Ann Tweedy and Eva Gibavic will meet to review Historic Preservation Restrictions currently in force and see if textual changes might be useful for future restrictions.

    • LHC Membership - LHC Vacancy

      General Discussion...
      Sara Robinson will invite a potential commission member.

    • Town website - Update history section on Town website -"Leverett History" on town website

      General Discussion...
      Once the new Open Space Plan has been approved, we will ask Lisa Stratford, Town Clerk, if she would be able to replace the current language in the town website (from the 2010 Open Space plan or earlier) with the current language.

      MOTION, moved by Eva Gibavic, seconded by Anne Schuyler: "To approve the letter of support for the "2019 Open Space Plan" as prepared by the Leverett Conservation Commission w/Meghan Rhodes of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments.".

      Pass: Aye: Sara Robinson, Ann Tweedy, Susan Mareneck, Eva Gibavic, Anne Schuyler, Susan Lynton. Not Present: Edie Field.

      1. LOSP-supltr_LHC2019.pdf

  6. LHS

    • Brief update of activities

      General Discussion...
      NA

  7. Cemeteries

    • Cemetery Conservation

      General Discussion...
      TaMara will be finishing Chestnut Hill/ Mt. Hope this summer. No new applications to CPA for funding.

    • Individual Cemetery Issues - Leverett Cemetery Association; Town website corrections; 2017 Form E submissions - MHC offer to subsidize National Register applications for North and Hillsboro/Long Plain. Report on LCA Annual Meeting on 5/22, 7pm, Town Hall.

      General Discussion...
      Leverett Cemetery Association meeting, 5/22/19. Ann Tweedy and Susan Mareneck reported on Martha Lyons' assessment and report. David Glazier, VP of LCA, volunteered to be a liaison between LHC and LCA. There are not plot maps for cemeteries. Milton Jackson, member of the LCA, offered to help with research for the veteran's project. Susan M. has his contact info.

    • Veterans Recognition Project - Martha Lyon/Martha Lyon Landscape Architecture, LLC Final Report - Signage design.

      General Discussion...
      Research on veterans buried in Leverett's cemeteries is the next step before signage can be finalized. Ann Tweedy presented a possible template, using Hillsboro/Long Plain as the example. Since both Plainview and East Leverett have much greater numbers, the research needs to be more extensive. Ann Tweedy believes that funeral homes have military service records in their database for more recently deceased veterans. If we are able to do mapping of cemeteries, it will benefit the LCA as well.

      Eva Gibavic suggested that we might approach UMASS as she believes they run ARC/GIS mapping courses to see if they might have students who are interested in helping us input data. Susan Lynton offered that she has extensive inventory materials which need to be inputted into the database that LHC created from the MHC inventory form in 2015. We also have a spreadsheet, donated to us by State Historical Records Advisory Board, which includes data covering town meeting minutes from 1774 to 2013.

  8. New Business

    • LHC Budget - Budget report

      General Discussion...
      This year's budget was exceeded due to the hearings for Demolition Delay Bylaw advertisements.

      Next year's budget will begin 7/1/19.

    • Opportunities - "Empowering Our Communities Through History". 6/24/19, Worcester, MA

      General Discussion...
      Patrick Browne inquiry regarding Leverett's plaque in Town Hall commemorating Civil War veterans. SM has provided him with information and a photo documentation of the plaque. He would probably like to know more about the origins of the plaque. If anyone has that information, please send to Susan Mareneck at .

      Miller Road bridge replacement. State DOT asked for input from LHC. Select Board has been informed. LHC will write a letter inquiring of the process/protocol for selecting bridges to replace. Eva will send SM a map to include. It is in proximity to old mill sites. The Commissioners could think of several other bridges and roads that are historic and need restoration.

    • Reports - WMHCC - Adaptive Reuse of Historic Buildings

      General Discussion...
      Massachusetts Historical Commission w/ Preservation MA, FRCOG, Berkshire Regional Planning Comm., sponsored a workshop at Pioneer Valley Planning Association on regulatory tools that can be used in communities to encourage maintenance of historical properties.

      The Attorney General's Office has a program "Abandoned Housing Initiative". Holyoke has a "Problem Properties Group" as part pf their Planning Board. MHC gave an overview of Minimum Maintenance Bylaws on Ordinances. (attended/reported by SM)

  9. Meeting Wrap-up

The listing of matters is those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.

Minutes prepared by sm

Minutes approved on Thursday, Aug 15, 2019

Posted to: Historical Commission.