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Commission updates CPC on Rural Cemetery water tower restoration; historic consultant outreach underway
Summary
Commission members reported progress on a Community Preservation Committee (CPC) application to rehabilitate the Rural Cemetery water tower. The chair described consultant contacts and said a restoration contractor has expressed interest; the CPC timeline may require an expedited site visit and estimate.
Commissioners reported ongoing work to prepare a Community Preservation Committee application to restore the Rural Cemetery water tower, including roof and exterior carpentry repairs. The project sponsor told commissioners the application seeks to meet the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for historic rehabilitation and said the scope focuses on roof replacement, window sills and exterior woodwork.
The commission chair said initial outreach to a local roofing specialist did not produce a timely estimate, so he consulted historic-preservation specialists instead. He described conversations with architectural historian Wendy Frontiero, Archipedia New England principal Brian Pfeiffer, and a restoration contractor with regional experience, Dennis Semperbon, who the chair said has expressed interest and willingness to visit the site and provide guidance. Commissioners said they are trying to secure an on-site assessment and cost estimate before the CPC’s next meeting, as the CPC’s application cycle has time constraints.
Commissioners discussed the value of building a vetted roster of local restoration tradespeople for future historic repair projects and said the water-tower work could be a first candidate for that list. No formal CPC decision was recorded at this meeting; the commission’s role at this stage is to provide research and historic context and to support the CPC application with documentation of historic significance and repair standards.
The commission will continue outreach to restoration professionals and expects to report back with a site assessment and cost estimate for the CPC cycle.
