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Committee backs budgets for Witch House, Pioneer Village and Charter Street; staff outline AR pilot and cemetery repairs
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Summary
The committee recommended approval of FY26 budgets for historic sites including the Witch House, Pioneer Village and Charter Street Cemetery. Department staff described a small augmented-reality pilot to increase remote access and said Charter Street funds will pay for cemetery repairs and headstone storage as the account accrues.
The Administration and Finance Committee voted Monday to recommend approval of proposed FY26 budgets for three Salem historic sites and described plans to pilot augmented-reality (AR) features and to spend built-up Charter Street Cemetery revenues on repairs and preservation work.
Elizabeth Peterson, manager for the Witch House, Pioneer Village and Charter Street sites, told the committee she was asking for minimal changes to operating budgets and primarily requested small increases in hourly wages for part-time seasonal staff.
On interpretation and visitor access, Peterson described an AR pilot intended "to just sort of enhance the visitors experience," initially at the Witch House and Charter Street Cemetery and later at Pioneer Village. "It's meant to just sort of enhance, the visitors experience largely, particularly with the Witch House and Charter Street Cemetery where we are having to go to time ticketing," Peterson said, adding the AR features would give visitors and remote classroom groups an "interesting overview of the site history."
Peterson and councilors also discussed attendance management. When asked about a 2024 attendance spike for the Witch House, staff explained the site switched earlier in the season to time-ticketing and Eventbrite reservations to control congestion. "So we're purposely managing the number of folks," Peterson said, describing 15-person entry windows as a way to reduce crowding and prevent damage.
Committee members praised staff for conservational work but urged expanded preservation for other cemeteries, including Broad Street Cemetery. Councilor Musilow and others asked about partnership opportunities with nearby institutions and "Friends of" groups; Peterson said database and inventory work by staff member Carl Schulz enabled repairs and stone conservation and that the Charter Street account has grown through visitor revenue.
A committee speaker noted how accumulated Charter Street funds are being used: "Now that it's built up, we're able to use it," the speaker said, citing projects such as tree trimming, path repair, runoff control and," lastly, to store headstones." The transcript does not identify that speaker by full name; the meeting record attributes the principal presentations to Peterson.
The committee voted separately to recommend approval of the Witch House budget (personnel $247,247, expenditures $113,853, department total $361,100), the Pioneer Village expenditures ($26,980) and the Charter Street budget (personnel $154,028, expenditures $64,690, department total $218,718). Councilor Stott moved each motion; Councilor Harvey seconded; Chair Merkle recorded "4 hands plus my own" for each vote and declared the matters carried.
Staff said accumulated Charter Street revenues have allowed work on site repairs without tapping the municipal general fund and that AR trials will start with small, testable components before wider rollouts. Councilors asked staff to explore expanding preservation efforts to Broad Street Cemetery and to continue coordinating with Salem State and volunteer groups.
