Farnsworth curator asks Cushing to provide insurance for Olson House turnaround

Michael Komanecky, chief curator of the Farnsworth Art Museum, told the Board of Selectmen that the museum would permit school buses and snowplow drivers to use the northwest corner plot of the Olson House property as a turnaround but asked the town to provide a certificate of liability insurance naming the Farnsworth as additionally insured.

Komanecky said the area where the bus has turned around historically is being created as a driveway and that the Farnsworth has a special obligation to preserve the Olson House, which he said is a National Historic Landmark. He told the board the museum would allow town drivers to use the drive for turnarounds, which could save the town the cost of constructing a formal turnaround, but reiterated the museum’s request for additional-insured coverage from the town.

Selectman Daniel Staples questioned why the issue had emerged suddenly, noting that buses had used that area for turnarounds since the 1950s. Komanecky explained the museum’s preservation concerns and asked for the liability certificate. The minutes do not record the board agreeing to provide the requested certificate; the offer to allow use of the driveway and the request for town-provided additional-insured coverage were the outcomes recorded.

The minutes do not specify any deadline for resolving the insurance request or whether the board asked town staff to obtain legal or risk-management guidance. The matter remains an outstanding request from the Farnsworth to the town for a certificate of liability naming the Farnsworth as additionally insured.