Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Historic Commission seeks funding to restore cemetery, updates archive and volunteer plans
Summary
Chris Perry, chair of the Gardner Historic Commission, told the council the commission contracted a preservationist to assess stones at the cemetery behind the old congregational church and is seeking additional city and perpetual-care funding; the commission also described archive storage and plans to recruit students.
Chris Perry, chair of the Gardner Historic Commission, told the Gardner City Council on Feb. 6, 2026, that the commission has contracted a preservationist to survey headstones at the cemetery behind the old congregational church and to develop a priority plan for repairs and restoration.
“ I think all of you know me. Chris Perry, the chair of the historic commission,” Perry said as he introduced the commission’s update. He described the cemetery work as the commission’s “major one going” project and said, “we've been contracted recontracted a preservationist, if you will, to go over and review all the stones and see how they are.”
The commission reported it is nearly at a full seven-member slate and regularly receives help from two or three people who attend meetings as informal associates and assist with research. Perry said the group has secured some city funding and plans to ask the mayor for additional funds in the upcoming budget proposal; he also flagged the possibility of using perpetual-care funds “meant for cemetery restoration or repair.”
Perry said the commission is updating its inventory of historic properties and preparing reports for the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS). He told councilors the inventory has not been consistently updated since a bicentennial inventory published in 1977–78 and that consultants for the city master plan had asked why no regular updates existed. The commission said it is collaborating with the Massachusetts Historical Commission and regional preservation groups to modernize the records.
On archives, Perry said most material now in the Waterford Community Center archive consists of hard copies of the Gardner News belonging to the Gardner Museum and that temperature fluctuations are a concern while the commission looks for a more permanent home for some materials.
Perry described outreach plans to recruit younger volunteers, including working with AP history classes and Mount Wachusett Community College students to help with photo editing and inventory work in May. A councilor suggested social-media outreach; Perry and councilors discussed strategies to engage younger residents.
The commission did not request any formal council vote during the update; Perry said next steps include completing the preservationist’s report and pursuing additional budget requests and available perpetual-care funds.
