Friends of the Town House granted permission to study phased renovation without requesting town funds

The Board of Selectmen on Feb. 10 granted the Friends of the Town House permission to investigate the feasibility of renovating a portion of the town house’s east side into public meeting space and to consult with local inspectors, the Architectural Access Board and Mass Historic. Jim Buzzle, representing the friends group, said the plan focuses on renovating a former storefront area to create a small community room for meetings and events and to demonstrate viability to potential funders.

“We’ve come up with a plan to renovate part of the basement or the summer street floor of the townhouse,” Jim Buzzle said, describing plans to repair floors, walls and ceilings, and to make the entry ADA‑compliant. Buzzle said the group is not asking the town for money and will pursue grants and fundraising for construction costs.

Board members pressed the group on specific technical and regulatory items the investigation must resolve. Speakers said they would need to confirm whether sprinkler systems or additional fire protections would trigger a requirement to extend protections building‑wide, how to handle ventilation and heating for the space and whether prevailing‑wage and public‑procurement rules would apply if the work exceeded statutory thresholds. In the meeting, one participant noted a municipal procurement statute—referred to in the meeting as "Smith's General Law"—that requires multiple bids for public projects beyond certain dollar thresholds.

The board’s grant of permission requires the Friends to return with findings. If the inspections and required approvals support the plan, the group said it will bring a final design and funding plan back to the board. The board approved the request by voice vote.<END>