Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Southborough Historical Commission endorses CPC funding to restore Town Common fence
Summary
The Southborough Historical Commission voted unanimously March 26 to endorse a Community Preservation Committee application seeking funds to restore the granite posts and iron rail fence that defines the Town Common.
Miller, chair of the Southborough Historical Commission, told the commission March 26 that the group would take two formal votes to confirm its support for a Community Preservation Committee (CPC) funding request to restore the granite post and iron rail fencing that defines the Common Street boundary of the Town Common from the All Wars Memorial at the east end to the historic watering trough at the west end.
The commission voted 5-0 to declare the fence "significant in the history, architecture, and culture of Southborough," and then voted 5-0 to endorse the joint Select Board/Historical Commission CPC application describing the restoration project. "It really... goes to defining the common as a specific space," Miller said during discussion of the first motion, explaining the fence's role in unifying multiple historic assets on the Common.
The endorsement motion notes that elements of the fence are "well over a hundred years old" and are "currently in disrepair and require restoration prior to Southborough's Tricentennial Celebration in 2027." The chair said Andrew Dennington will present the article at town meeting "a week from Monday," and that the chair expects to be beside him when the project is presented on the town floor. Lisa Borachio, identified in the discussion as the new CPC chair, provided the template language used for the motions.
Both motions were made by Miller and seconded by Grant Farrington. Roll-call votes recorded Miller, Annie Pfaff (vice chair), Grant Farrington, Kelly O'Brien and Dan Blanchard as voting yes on each motion. The commission asked that the exact motion language be added to the minutes so CPC could present the completed documentation at town meeting.
No formal project budget, contractor, or funding amount was discussed during the commission's meeting. The commission's endorsement is procedural: it affirms the commission's support for the CPC application but does not itself appropriate funds. The chair said minutes will be prepared and approved at the commission's next regular meeting so CPC can show the endorsement at town meeting.
