The Norwood Historical Commission voted unanimously to determine that assets within Town Hall — including the Morse House, the Morrill Memorial Library and the artillery cannon on the Town Hall lot — are significant to the town’s history, archaeology and culture, clearing a step required for Community Preservation Committee (CPC) funding consideration.

The motion, proposed by a commission member and seconded during the meeting, approved a letter of support the CPC requested for the town manager’s pre-applications. The commission’s action was procedural: it determined historical significance and agreed to provide a letter for CPC records. The commission also heard a separate pre-application from the town for restoration work at Shattuck Park and for an inventory of historic assets at Town Hall.

Commissioners spent substantial time discussing the proposed restoration of the Town Hall artillery cannon. One commissioner said the plan involved “a six‑digit figure” and noted a prior restoration expenditure around 2007; the commissioner asked how long the new work would be expected to last and whether the cannon’s location should be reconsidered to reduce repeated expense. Members suggested asking the preservation contractor whether modern treatments or materials could extend the life of the restoration and whether an interior location or partial shelter might reduce future maintenance costs. Town staff and a CPC liaison said they would request an estimate from the contractor for expected longevity but warned that a warranty is unlikely.

On Shattuck Park, commission staff reported a pre-application seeking funding for a landscape-architect study to restore a dry‑stone wall and related park improvements. Staff said the town’s historical research found an item in the 1928 annual report showing the town paid for the wall in 1927; that detail will be incorporated into the full CPC application. The consultant’s scope, if funded, would include community outreach and design recommendations.

The commission instructed staff to provide follow-up questions to CPC applicants — including requests for a clearer cost breakdown and for projected longevity for major preservation work — and to circulate draft letters of support. The motion to deem Town Hall assets historic passed unanimously.