Hubbardston committee weighs meeting house as multiuse venue or museum, appoints volunteer treasurer

At a recent Meeting House Committee meeting in the Town of Hubbardston, members discussed whether the town’s newly acquired meeting house should be used as a permanent museum or kept flexible for performances, community events and rotating exhibits, and they appointed a volunteer to track project funds.

The committee heard from residents and committee members about uses for the building. Laurie Gill, a two‑year resident, described touring the meeting house and asked, “Is it going to be a venue for various town functions, or is it going to be something that’s always there museum like?” Several members urged developing a clear mission statement to guide decisions.

Historical‑society advocates said a permanent museum would protect artifacts. Gary Kangas, a long‑time resident and identified in the discussion as the Historical Commission chair, said his original vision was “to have the town museum in there”…