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Commission approves Highlands district outreach, survey and annual mailing template
Summary
The Fall River Historical Commission approved a district outreach mailing and a Google-form survey tied to a planned Highlands local historic-district expansion and noted a $69,607 CPC-backed study to produce roughly 50 surveys; consultant Elizabeth Warburton (PAL) will assist with the expansion study.
The Fall River Historical Commission on March 18 approved an annual mailing to property owners in the Highlands 40C local historic district and a draft district-expansion survey delivered via Google Form, clearing next steps for a planned expansion and public outreach.
The commission reviewed a proposed annual letter template that will be mailed to property owners in the Highlands 40C local historic district to remind residents of the district designation and link to design guidelines. The commission voted to approve the template and the chair said she will send the draft to the city corporation counsel for review before mailing.
On the expansion work, the commission discussed a Preservation Act-led consultant study funded in part by a Community Preservation Committee (CPC) allocation of $69,607. The money will fund a consultant, PAL, to produce approximately 50 surveys and a study report to the state. "The consultant that will be working with Alex or the preservation society and then collaborating with us, is Elizabeth Warburton, with PAL," the chair said; Warburton is formerly with the Rhode Island Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission and Epsilon Associates.
Commissioners also reviewed a Google-form survey designed to collect property-owner responses, including an optional email address field; the form's results auto-populate to a spreadsheet for live tracking. The commission approved the draft survey with the caveat that members could submit edits before final distribution; the motion specified approval "as is" with comments forthcoming.
Why it matters: the outreach and the consultant survey are key steps in documenting properties for a formal expansion of the Highlands local historic district. The CPC-funded study and consultant work will produce surveys and a state study report that would support a boundary-expansion nomination.
Next steps: PAL will start work after city approvals; the preservation society and commission can apply for additional funds or a slight project extension if more properties are included than originally quoted.
