WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=p36pQw_Mh7Q

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: p36pQw_Mh7Q):
- 00:00:10: Meeting Called to Order, 31 Foster Street Presentation
- 00:03:05: Historic New England Presentation: Witcom House Protection
- 00:06:16: Questions About the Easement, Wildlife, and Tax Deductions
- 00:10:30: More Easement Questions, Celebration of Property Preservation
- 00:15:00: Vote on Easement, Support from Local Preservation Groups
- 00:17:02: Discussion of the Patriots Day Event Preparations
- 00:25:41: Historic Markers: CPC Proposal and QR Code Ideas
- 00:32:36: Update on Nagogdil Orchard and Preservation Restriction
- 00:35:24: Westlawn Cemetery Restoration and Stantech Bridge Project
- 00:39:52: First Baptist Church Sale and Preservation Concerns
- 00:47:53: Preservation Massachusetts and Ideas for Church Conversion
- 00:49:06: Reviewing Meeting Minutes from 2025 and 2026
- 00:55:12: Pauly Glynn's House and Next Meeting May 13th


Part: 1

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to call to order the meeting of the Littleton Historical Commission, April 8th, 700 p.m. We have a quorum. And um our first item on the agenda, I do have agenda. Uh agenda is here if

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anyone wants it. Um, our first item on the agenda will be um talking with historical England, Elizabeth from historical England and about the about 31 Foster Street and the owners of year Reed and Dad Aguiler

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and um Hi, >> I have a flash drive as requested if that would be be useful. >> Sure. She's going to give a little presentation. >> So, do you remember how we do this? Do we plug it into this? >> Um, we could plug it into that. The

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problem is is if she joins the meeting, she can't present cuz she only you if she's like a you know what I mean? Like she's a member but not a uh >> but she's not she's here in person. So, can we just >> You probably want to just throw it right

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in there >> if we can. I thought we plugged it in there. Technicalities. >> There you are. >> Thank you. Isn't that the same machine as you're just echoing it? >> Is that a different computer? >> This is that computer. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. Yeah.

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>> So, I can just do this. I thought we plugged it in their list, but >> And then there should be two, one folder and one presentation. If you could open that for me. Presentation. >> Presentation. It's opening. Yeah, it says it.

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>> Does she have to share that? You have to get it. >> Oh, I have to share it. >> Yeah. No, >> no, it's right there. >> No, but it's not on the uh me not on the Zoom. So, on the Zoom >> Oh, >> there should be a share button. >> So, >> no, just leave it. Just go right up in

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there. >> Go over here. >> Yeah. To the Zoom. Just click on the Zoom. >> Oh, >> yeah. And then at the bottom there should be a share right there. >> So click on that. >> Yep. >> Okay. >> And then there should be a picture of this one right here. Yes.

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>> Yeah. Yep. >> And then hit share at the bottom. >> Okay. >> And then you can full screen. Make that full screen. Um so >> and there should be a slideshow tab at the top that might be blocked by this.

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Let's see. I do see >> right under audio. >> It's right under audio. >> Under >> or go down here. Just hit this one right here. >> Okay. Nope. >> Wonder. >> Let's see. Let's let me try. Well, it'll

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work. >> Okay. All right. So, you're going to advi advance slides for me as well. I will I will let you know. >> You let me know when I should advance. >> Um, this should not take very long, but hello. My name is Elizabeth Pela. I am the senior preservation services manager at Historic New England, formerly the Society for the Preservation of New

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England Antiquities or Spana. Uh, next slide, please. Uh, Historic New England is a 501c3 nonprofit charitable corporation created in 1910. We operate across the six New England states, and our mission is to

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preserve and share New England's history through our historic properties, landscapes, collections, and archives. And we also operate a recognized, nationally recognized preservation easement program whereby we protect privately owned properties and historic

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houses. Next slide, please. We are here to ask the Littleton Historical Commission to recommend approval of preservation restrictions on the Witcom House at 31 Foster Street to the board of selectmen. So, the Wickcom house was constructed between the 1720s

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and 1740s as a four room salt box with later 18th century alterations. Correct me if I'm wrong. Um, an English barn on the property also dates from this time. The owners Reed and Deb here tonight are seeking to protect the property for

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future generations by donating a preservation restriction on the property to be held and administered by historical. Next slide, please. Under Historic New England's restrictions, the significant exterior

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and interior portions and architectural features of the Wickcom house and barn will be protected against falteration, neglect, and demolition. Once more, please. These are from that photo shoot that we did last year.

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These features include wood and masonry elements such as sidewalls, doors, windows, shutters, roofs, chimneys, and foundations. And then many interior features of the house are also protected, including room configuration,

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framing members, including at the barn, plaster walls and ceilings, woodwork, flooring, and door and window hardware. These restrictions will ensure that this locally significant house and building remains preserved. So, Massachusetts

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general laws, chapter 184, section 32 requires approval at both the state and local level for a preservation restriction to be perpetually binding. The state through the Massachusetts Historical Commission has already reviewed the document and provided their

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preliminary approval. And now we are here seeking support from the Littleton Historical Commission for approval. Uh in approving these restrictions, the town of Littleton assumes no responsibility nor accepts any liability for enforcement.

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And I think I have a thank you slide and that's all. >> Does anyone have any questions, concerns or comments? May I just add one thing uh Ellie in your description which was admirable uh it's also probably noteworthy to mention

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that the historic easement is also a conservation easement. So the not only the house and the barn are protected, but the uh property which is

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approximately 6 acres um and is uh is a great wildlife resource um will also be protected >> protected from subdivision. >> Yeah, >> correct. >> My property is a great wildlife resource

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too, but sometimes often times I wish it weren't. as the deer come around to eat my eat my garden >> and showed up as soon as we got back. >> So, this is a common uh procedure that

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uh that you uh a common I don't know what to say, but common practice that uh that you uh that you engage in. >> We do. We currently protect 129 properties across the region. Um and we've been doing this since the early 1970s. formally since the 1940s in more

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informal deed restrictions. Um, but this process was set up after the National Preservation Act in the 1966. Um, and more recently obviously within Massachusetts that require perpetual uh or for perpetual restrictions. So yes,

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it is something that we do relatively regularly and I actually have another meeting in front of another historical commission tomorrow in Norwell. So decent decent regularity you would say. There's one other thing I wanted to add too, which is sometimes um people

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think that there may be um additional motivations on the part of property owners for this kind of thing, specifically federal tax deductions. And I I want to make clear that we are not um uh applying for federal tax

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deductions as part of this. this is really a pure conservation kind of uh motivation on our part. And um the other thing is I I think Ellie uh gave uh a

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certainly a correct uh perspective on historic New England, but it's also uh interesting and I hope relevant that to the best of my knowledge there are no other houses um or properties in Littleton that have this designation.

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And um >> there's one now. >> Oh, there you believe there is one held by the town. >> Yes. held by us. >> Oh, there is barely reach. >> Oh, there you go. So, that's fantastic. So, so this is another one and um I think that in itself is a kind of signal

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honor that there that there are properties that the town cares about. This is one that is a very early property and it is extremely well preserved. I mean, it has the original wide pine floors throughout

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just for example. So, um, plus it it has an interesting history. Jonathan Whitam, who occupied the house in 1721, um, was the town blacksmith as well, and his heirs, at least to the best of my knowledge, and I think the historical

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society has information about this, but his heirs may even have been the donors of FA Park across the street. So there's an interesting idea of a parcel of land here that is very closely connected to

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the history of the town. So what we're here tonight is to ask if the historical commission will be willing to write a letter of recommendation to the select board recommending that they approve these u these restrictions that would be held between Historic New England and the owners of 31 Foster Street.

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Is there any other questions, comments from >> Reed? Why would people have this mistaken thought that it gives you some kind of federal something or other? Because such thing I don't think such a thing exists. >> It does actually, but it's it's a rather

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extensive process and it's one that we chose not to not to pursue. It's not one that we typically recommend for donors um unless there's a very great difference in um uh evaluation or assessment between

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property before and after a restriction is put on because the IRS scrutinizes these these donations really heavily particularly conservation restrictions but also preservation ones. They've been um they've been misused over the past several decades across the nation. So

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that it has happened a a few times within our program that an owner has chosen to take a tax deduction and they can but when the numbers are crunched because of all the legal finances requirements and added steps involved in that it ends up not being financially worth it for most companies

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>> and there there is a kind of um there is a sacrifice on the part of owners I think uh who choose to go this route uh not the tax deduction route but in fact the preservation easement without a tax deduction in that there is the potential

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for uh diminishing the level of marketability for instance. Um that's something that we're willing to accept because we think it's important enough to preserve the property. >> Well, I uh I applaud you for doing this. uh you know this commission has uh

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struggled to u have others uh promote preservation so thank you for taking the steps and making it happen. >> We do it very gladly. Would there

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would there be some way of does does this ever happen that one has a kind of uh celebration of something like this or uh you know to make it public and and is that a good idea and you know I'm sort

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of thinking well maybe encourage people to preserve their historic properties or I mean this just came to me so It's not something I >> um private properties because these are all private properties. We we don't

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share their details with the wider public addresses for instance um unless unless the owners are okay with that and explicitly state that. >> Um so so by and large we do not have a registry of the names and the addresses of the restrictions that we hold because we're respecting the the private property nature. But sometimes if an

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owner is is willing and and has that um wants to publicly announce it, that's absolutely um we have say last year a property up in Maine that came into our program. We ended up um writing that owner was really really happy to have it announced

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and publicized and we had an an article in our magazine that comes out three times a year um about the history of the property and about the preservation of it. >> But I think your point is well taken Jonathan we can take it offline too. We are interested in not necessarily

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promoting ourselves or um freighting this down with any additional events, but um certainly we we are ourselves in favor of preservation movements >> and um would uh would be happy to have a

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conversation with you about it. One other thing I did want to mention and Ellie maybe you can speak to this. Um there is uh I think time is of the essence in this um whole process for us.

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Um and I believe Ellie, you do have something scheduled for the board of selectment. Is that correct? >> Well, I just heard back from them today. So it's it yes, we are on the select board of selectman's 20 April 21st agenda. Um and they have asked if if you

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have have all seen this. So yes, I can tell them that you have um as well. So, yeah, in two weeks. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> And I I don't know if that works with the commission, but um I think it's worth getting that out there. So, >> true.

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>> So, um along these lines, um the town administrator contacted me today and said and forwarded your email to him to schedule a meeting with Sledboard. He said, "Do we know about this?" So I wrote him back. I said, "Yes, we fully

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support this. We recommend the whole, you know, the whole thing." And then back in 2023, we had sent Dylan Peacock, your colleague at historic New England, a letter re that we saying that we

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supported it and it was fairly detailed. I have the letter here if you want it or whatever. Um, and I forwarded this to the town administrator so he saw that. Fantastic. Thank you, Linda. >> And I said in the email to him that we re we we support this and we recommend this. >> Wonderful. That's that's wonderful. So

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we can go before this board and and say it has local preservation support as well. That would be very helpful. >> So do we need a vote then? I think we should >> take Yes. I mean we probably took a vote in 23 but I don't remember. >> So we can take another vote >> last week.

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>> Yeah. Really? So um do I have a motion? I uh I move that the uh Littleton Historic Commission uh vote to endorse the proposal uh regarding the deed restriction uh of uh

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was it 21 Foster Street? >> 31 Foster Street. >> Historic preservation restriction. Do you call it an ement or >> preservation restriction? Preservation easement. Either of those. >> Do I have a second? >> I second it. >> All in favor?

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I >> thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you so much. >> We'd love to stay. >> We're hungry. >> Yeah. >> Grab my eye. >> Nice to see you back.

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>> I'm taking another Thank you so much. >> Sure. Thank you. >> Bye-bye. >> Thank you. >> Thanks. >> Thank you. >> Thanks so much. >> Y

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>> Thank you. Thank you. >> Take care. Oh my goodness. Thank you. >> Good night. Me too. >> So, the next item I think we should discuss is the Patriots Day event. Um,

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all the preparation and where we're at with all of that. Um, I did email the minute or they emailed me, whatever. The Minutemen and they are on board. Yay. I guess I'll contact them again just to make sure. But they are

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>> like your medical providers. They're always reminding you and then reminding you of >> Exactly. >> Really? So that that should be okay. Um I've ordered the wreath. Can you supply a mic, Carolyn?

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>> Yes, we can. >> Okay. Um, and for laying up wreaths, John Ledger will do one and I've asked Chris if he would like to. So, those would be our two re layers. Jonathan's going to give a speech. >> Brief speech.

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>> Um, I asked the select board and they haven't gotten back to me yet as to who I assume one of them will do it. They haven't gotten back to me yet. I'll get I'll ask them again. Um, for the signs, Rachel ordered sign cuz we needed new

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sign. John Ledger said the old signs were in terrible shape. So, Rachel is ordered new signs. They're being made now. I guess Chris and I have sort of communicated a bit about I guess the signs have to be put on sandwich

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boards. They require I think they only accept sandwich board signs on to the town on the common. So, I guess we need those. I mean, can we just buy them somewhere? Probably. >> Yeah. Well, so what did she order?

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Didn't she order the ones with the little metal things that just stick in? >> I don't know. I guess we we need to check with >> I've seen those on the like the with the high school plays and stuff. I think I've seen them. Yeah. >> Okay. I'll check with her first and see what the status is if we maybe maybe she

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did order them. >> Yeah. And Sunday, right? Sunday now. It's on Sunday. 7 PM, right? >> Not the Not this Sunday, the 19th. >> Um, let's see. >> 7. Okay. So, I'll check about sandwich

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boards with Rachel. Um, and then we can probably buy them if we need them, right? Yeah. >> We have one that you can borrow if you don't want to put out the money for one. You have one. You have one. >> I might have I might have a couple at my work. I could borrow two. I just throw

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them in the back of my phone. >> All right. Well, let's see what Rachel says and then we'll figure it out. Um, now the banner. I got uh I got the banner there from John Ledger. There's two of them, but we only can do one because they they no longer allow us to

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put it on the above the street. So, we have one that we can put at the transfer station uh on the gate. So, would someone be willing to sort of take that on, pick which one you want, and then it has to be hooked onto the gate somehow?

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Like there's these round whatever you call them >> grommets. >> Huh? Grommets. Yes. So, somehow with wire or something, you'd have to put it onto the >> zip ties maybe >> if they if they're big and strong

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because they're pretty thick. >> Right. I I'll do >> you guys do mind doing that? Yeah. >> So, I'll get you guys I'll get in touch with you and give you guys the banner. You can decide which one you want to use >> and then you'll figure out how to put it up. >> Yeah. >> Thank you.

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>> And then just so we all are on the same page, the the town guidelines for posting signs signs on the common shall only be placed in the designated area. I don't know what the designated area is,

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>> so have to find that out. Okay. Um, okay. Blah blah blah. >> I have a feeling it's not going to be quite the event without a beer tent like it was last. >> Yeah, no kidding. Signs may be displayed up to seven days

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before the first day of the event. A total of eight days. So the 12th is my understanding that it can be put up or 12 >> that's 12 13 right 12 >> this Sunday >> 12 13 14 15 oh yeah yeah so that's seven

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days so maybe Saturday could be put up because it says eight days total >> I think Saturday would be a good day for the dump sign to go up >> yeah that's a good idea >> because everyone goes to the dump >> so 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 Oh no 19 no couldn't be Saturday has to be Sunday.

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I'm just trying to figure >> Well, >> eight days before >> is really going to be Well, it's a Sunday, right? So, maybe it's business days. >> So, I think it has to be Sunday unless we ask them because that's we still

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haven't got that's the only permission we have. >> Chris and I will go we'll go put it up at the dump on Saturday and then we can take it down next Saturday. So, it's one day before the event. >> Well, didn't you say eight days before? >> Eight days. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,

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Saturday, and then your event is on Saturday. >> Right. But then he'd have he theoretically would have to take it down on Saturday and not leave it up on Sunday. >> The dump's closed on Sunday. >> That's true. >> So, no one's going to see it. Just run it Saturday to Saturday. >> All right. I think that should be okay.

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I think we have not yet gotten approval for the banner. We got approval for the signs on the common. So, I have to follow up on that, too. Banner approval. >> Okay. Um, >> with the dump of people. >> Yeah, with I guess the highway

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department. Yeah. >> Is that who runs the dump? >> I don't know. I heard the highway department, but then I heard Lisa Montgomery should get back to us once they approve it. >> So, I'll check. Um, signs may not impair the vision of

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motorists and may not be placed on sidewalks and pending pedestrians. Signs must be removed no later than one day following the event. The requesting party is responsible for removal. Non-compliance with guidelines may result in denial of future requests.

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Signs no larger than 3 feet by 4 feet, which is standard sandwich board size. Um, and oh yeah, the banner at Oh, see yeah, the banner at the transfer station. Bennos can be no larger than three feet

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high by 19 feet wide. So >> Oh, it's not 19 feet. >> You'll have to measure that. >> It's got It's It's way smaller, >> probably. But they're pretty big. They're bigger than I thought. >> Okay. >> But they're probably not 19 ft. >> Okay. That's That's that. >> Okay.

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>> We We'll take We'll take that off. Where's the banner? >> It's uh they're in my car. We need to do it tonight or >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. One of us will >> remind me after at the end. Um, is there anything else about the Patriots Day event that we need to take

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care of? >> Uh, Minute Man speakers. >> Do you want me to put it in action unlimited for >> Oh, yeah. If you if Yeah, that'd be great. Thank you. I've done that in the past, but I forgot all about it. >> We'll put it on our Facebook. I was just

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going to say we should have Rachel put on the Facebooks. >> Great. Thank you. Okay. Is that it for that? I think so. >> Well done team. >> Okay. Um

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then next uh the historic markers um the bases the um the CPC article CPC proposal application that we put into CPC that will be on town meeting on the town meeting

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warrant. >> Nice. Um, so it's possible but unlikely that someone, you know, someone at town meeting may ask about it. It they probably won't, but it is possible. >> Um, >> when is town meeting, by the way?

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>> May. >> That's the first Tuesday in May. >> Six, something like that. Well, we'll make sure the date. >> Okay. I will not be here. >> Oh, you won't? Oh, you'll be in France. Good for you. >> Probably England by then. >> Oh,

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>> I'm going to France anyway. >> But somewhere somewhere far from here. >> Far from here. >> May 5th. >> Yeah, >> that's the f That's the second Tuesday. First Tuesday. >> First Tuesday. Okay. Um, and then also regarding the markers,

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um, Chris had an idea that he mentioned to me, um, that sort of part of the marker project. Do you want to talk about it? >> Um, yeah. Basically, thinking about a way to make the markers

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more interactive. You could maybe put a nice looking like QR code on there and then you could, you know, if you're nearby, you could scan it and then it brings you to like a website that gives you more information than is on the black and maybe pictures what it used to

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look like and uh just a thought and we have we're looking for that's you know sort of projects that enhance some of the historic parts of town. I think it be a good idea. So my question is how does that work?

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How would we get QR codes onto them onto the >> you need a website? >> You got have the website. >> Yeah. Now you have this first, right? >> But then but then the each QR code would bring you to a specific page of that website. >> And I mean I could look into figuring

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out how to get those. And >> yeah, they're free. Yeah, >> they're free. >> Just you just use a tool that it's just a barcode. >> It's a 3D barcode. the ones that have the little >> Yeah. >> dots on it. >> But figuring out like how to get them like printed on something that doesn't look like a sticker or something that

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you know looks nicer than >> Yeah. That's sort of a dilemma cuz you know the other one I mean with the the actual word the text that we're putting up will be on in bronze >> will last forever >> to have a QR.

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>> Yeah. >> I don't know. >> You just buy >> I like it. It's interesting. figure out how to execute. That's the thing. So, >> right. >> I don't know. >> And so, it would have to go to some website. So, >> deciding we're re redesigning our

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website right now. So, I'm sure that I mean, obviously, we we have the same goals that we you could, you know, hours. >> Okay. Yeah. >> And you'll still have that page or that web page where it has the markers. >> Yes.

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>> Yeah. We'll keep that in and maybe try to make it a little We're trying to make things a little more obvious. I don't know. Our website's just kind of crappy. So, we're we're actually having someone design it for us. >> Oh, okay. >> Um and we have someone a volunteer who's putting one of those maps, you know, a

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map together like you you click on something and it pulls stuff up. And I'm not sure where they are with that, but maybe we can put all that in together. So, >> if you can do the front end of it, we could handle the back end. >> Okay. Awesome. >> And we had talked about I don't know if

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this is the same thing, but we had talked briefly at one point about maybe pursuing an interactive maps of some of these >> Yeah. >> sites. I don't know how that would work, but it seems related. >> If anyone knows Rick Hets, but he's that's the kind of thing he's been working on. Rick Hets.

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>> Oh. >> Um he's a semi volunteer at his store. He pops in a lot, but he's kind of working on on something. And I'm not sure what what his endgame is is, you know, what he's thinking of doing, but if we could I mean, it's all right

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there. Instead of all operating parallel, we operate together, >> right? All right. So, here's my idea. >> We take a piece of PVC wood and we cut it out so it looks like a much larger

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version of that thing you get in your steak. You know, when you go to the restaurant, it's got a pointy thing. It comes up and it's got like a little square at the top. >> And then we have the QR codes printed on on sheet white sheet vinyl. >> Mhm. >> And we just basically wrap the little

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flat square in sheet vinyl and then we just put it next to the marker. The PVC will last forever. The sheet vinyl will UV decay, but if we put it in sort of a shady spot, it will last for a good long time. And then if the website

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ever changes, you could update the little markers, right? >> I mean, I was thinking about it. I'm like, I'm not sure how else. I think you have to print them, right? I don't think you could like carve them, >> right? I don't know. I Yeah, >> I think you'd have to like print them probably.

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>> Oh, can I do it? >> Yeah, >> unless you somehow affix what you're talking about to the marker itself, >> right? Yeah. like with glue or something. I don't know. >> Yeah, I mean that's another possibility, but

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>> I noticed the uh the mill one somebody I don't know they like it's gone. >> Oh no, it's >> like it's like the uh >> at the Parley Lumber. Yeah, >> I thought I noticed that too that I didn't see. >> The fence like that whole section of fence is just somebody just like it's

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like somebody drove through it. I don't know. Well, good thing we we ordered a new one. >> Yeah. Good thing >> we put it in a new location. >> Yeah. And if we get a granite base, no one will drive through the anymore, right? >> Wow. >> Yeah. Wow.

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>> Yeah. I thought I noticed that and I thought I must have imagined it's not there. >> Yeah. >> Anyway, I like the idea and I think we could totally do it. I'll look into it some more. >> Sounds good. And we should coordinate with the society. >> Yeah. We need websites.

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>> Yeah. I'll mention it to our designer. think we're meeting with her on Friday and I'll tell her that, you know, there's something cooking so that she can be better prepared for >> great. >> Yeah. >> Um Okay. Um then I wanted to mention a

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little update on the orchard. Um, I don't know yet if it's there's it's possible that something about the house the or the the main house at the at the Nagodill orchard will be on the town meeting warrant. I don't know if it got in or not. Um, do you know had you

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looked at the >> Has to be heard. They think they were going to pull it because they weren't quite ready, but I haven't seen a final copy yet to see whether they have. So, it may or may not, but I want to bring it up because yeah, one of the select board members called me >> and said they were thinking of have

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maybe maybe on the town meeting warrant for May having uh an item a warrant item to ask town the residents uh to give uh the select board permission to declare the house surplus

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property >> so that the select board could sell but to the person who's renting the orchard. So it would just be part of the whole orchard thing. He wants to buy perhaps he would live there. Workers would live there. So

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>> can we put a historic deed of >> Yes. >> on it? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> That's why he called me >> because then I >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No. Right. So he he in favor of having a historic preservation restriction on it. If you recall last

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year with CPC funds, Shanti and I developed historic preservation restrictions for the house, the lower barn, and the upper barn. So, that's almost ready to go. I mean, we have to make sure everyone, all the parties would agree to it, but yes,

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>> awesome sauce. >> So, that would be good rather than sitting there vacant. It would be good if someone's using it and if it has a historic preservation restriction on it. All right, a quick question if you don't mind. Um, so, uh, 421

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board selected meeting, historic New England's going, right? >> I'm sorry, say that again. >> On the April 21st, >> board of trust, board of selectman, sorry, board of selectman meeting, historic New England is going. Does the board of selectmen know of our intention

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to put a his uh a preservation restriction on the orchard house? >> Yes, >> they are. They know. >> Yes. Okay. >> Yes. >> I told him that we have one that's just about ready that we you know. >> Okay. >> That we developed one last year

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>> and you know so >> that's that. So that may come up. Oh if it's at town meeting on the warrant then someone may ask about it the town meeting we can talk to that but sounds like it may not be on the warrant. So,

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um, oh, I don't want to forget about this. So, um, Westl Cemetery, I I sent everybody a proposal from Fannon and Learner. Um, it's very similar to all the previous year's proposals, several years

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proposals. Um my understanding from talking with Andrew Samarco who was on the cemetery commission with Carolyn um that the funds were already approved for this in last me last town meeting

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last year's town meeting but an agreement hasn't yet been put together. So so Ben and Learner sent us an agreement on the first page and then the proposal itself. So, uh, did oldie read

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that? So, they're proposing to conserve or preserve, restore 15 to 17 stones in the Westlong Cemetery, the old section, similar to what they've done before. So,

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does anyone have any questions or thoughts about this? >> Well, they've always done such a good job that I I can't imagine we'd have any Any questions about seems like we're you know it's getting we're getting the cemetery is really in

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good shape. Is that right Carolyn? I mean >> I think so. >> Certainly the one you know the one that I drive by all the time down here I mean I drive by the other one but you can't see it's up on the rise but the one I drive by here looks like it's in good shape. And it's nice that uh

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>> that we've we've been able to do that. I mean it's been a a slow steady process but I guess that's the result of having people using uh using hand handcrafting you know hand artisal techniques to uh

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to do this but that's the way that's the way to do it and I think it's working very well so let's keep going. Yeah I agree with Jonathan I keep going. Okay. So then I would ask for a motion

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from someone that the Littleton Historical Commission sign this agreement with Fed and Learner for uh the to continue working on the Westl Cemetery as proposed um

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using funds already approved by the town. Have a motion. So moved. I >> have a second. Second. All >> in favor? I Okay, I'll sign this and get it back today.

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>> Nice. >> I have a hiccup. >> That's all that was. Okay, >> that's all. Excuse >> nothing. >> Um, so something came in from Stantech. It

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seems to me this is very similar to what hap I think I sent it to everybody. >> Yeah, I saw the 119 a bridge on 119 bridge work. Seems to me it was similar to the last one they sent us. >> I think that was a different bridge. >> Really? >> Is that the 110 bridge and this is the

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119 bridge? >> I don't know. But anyway, so they want to know if we have any comments. Does anyone have any thoughts about this work or this letter? didn't seem like it really had any impact on historical

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things as far as I can tell. >> Yes. >> I mean, there's some that are not that far away from it, but it doesn't seem like it actually impinges on on anything that we think is important to preserve. So, >> yeah, I agree. I mean, it looks like they're making it wider and longer. That

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was interesting. >> I think they're putting bike lanes. I think that was one of >> Yeah, that's good. >> Yeah, we're going to have to if they're going to put a thousand people up there. kidding. I mean, they mentioned in the letter Littleton Common District and the old burying ground,

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but you know, like you said, I don't think it impacts that, right? Any of those things? >> I would agree. >> Okay. So, I assume there's no comments for this letter. Is that right? >> Right. >> Um,

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then I just wanted to bring this up. We've talked about this before. Some of us went to the church, the um congregate, which is that what it is? The Baptist church. First Baptist Church >> right in the center of town, the big white church. We, Andrew and I, and

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>> I forget who else went. Anyway, we met with one of the people from the church there because they're looking to sell it. and we had a discussion with them about possible nonprofits that might be interested in either buying it or

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working with them or something. And I got an email from her, from the church person fairly recently. I wrote her back and gave her the names of a couple of people that we talked about as like in Grten,

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>> places that have taken public buildings and converted them into something else. So, I gave her those two names that we had talked about previously, but she wrote back and said, "Well, we're really not interested in that. We want to know of nonprofits who want to buy it or work with us." And so, do we have any

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anything else to offer them? I wish I wish we did, but it it you know I there not a lot of nonprofits in Littleton and uh you know the ones that are have plenty in their hands already. I don't know if they're willing to take

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on something else. I mean obviously there's the historical society. I don't know anybody else really who uh >> so the only thing I can think of is the gentleman we met who runs the church on New Town Road

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because he may not uh his church seems to be doing well. So, it may have the capital to acquire another church, but he probably knows other people like himself and he may know somebody who's

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looking to to own a church. >> That's a great idea. Yeah, I didn't even think of that. The other thought I have and I I think he's done some things with even with churches would be uh

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a friend uh geez catalo Joe whether he'd be interested in developing it. You know I was just looking through something which was I don't know where I saw this whether it was online or

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something. Somebody was writing about some church that was just converted to residences or something. >> And I mean, it's not a nonprofit sort of situation, but it preserves the preserves the structure, >> right? >> That's good.

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>> When the building is sold, what will protect those stained glass windows? >> Oh, God. >> If the society wants them, I don't know. Well, hopefully hopefully the building will stay intact, but we don't know. We

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don't know at this point. Yeah. >> Well, that's another question for this woman is would she entertain a historical preservation deed on the windows? >> That's a good question. And is there

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anything else that we would want to preserve than the >> Well, again, the more you preserve, >> the more you'll limit its ability to be so. >> Yeah. If we can, we'd like to present the building. >> Excuse me, Andrew. What was you?

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>> I said if you if I think the if you if you put a a preservation restriction that's too large on that, it's going to limit their ability to find another use. You know what I'm saying? If you going to preserve it as a church, it'll stay a

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church. >> Excuse me. >> If you preserve it as a church, it will have to stay a church. It'd be hard to redevelop it if you wrote a like if you said you could move internal walls or structures or all the other it would be hard to have a new

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use, right? I mean, even if you do all the windows, it could be potentially hard to find a new use. But >> yes, I I think so. I mean, I think it's I mean, that's why a lot of a lot of their number now of churches

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that are being preserved as something else. Yeah. you know, not as as churches for whatever reason. I mean, right, >> maybe there's less religion. Maybe maybe they want different ways to configure their buildings or something. I I'm not

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I'm not sure, but >> it would be nice ideally to preserve the structure, but >> yeah, >> we'll see what happens. >> We can be part of that conversation, I think, as things forward and see. >> Yeah. So, I think it sounds a little

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concerning uh having met with them and them expressing a fairly aggressive time frame to get a recent email that kind of sounds like they they hadn't advanced on

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their time frame. So, so maybe, you know, things have gotten better for them and their pressure was off or maybe things have gotten worse for them and now they're under a lot more pressure. I I don't know the answer, but >> still concerned. heard that they were stay after Easter >> this year.

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>> Well, this was what maybe six months ago. Someone had told me that they probably would keep going until after Easter, which is now after Easter. So, it's kind of interesting that you you know, just getting an email. So, >> it was a little It was a month or two ago, maybe. >> I don't know. I mean, the person told me

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I don't know how they knew that. >> Oh, dear. >> Church person. >> Interesting. >> Yeah. Well, I think my sense is the thing, you know, the thing to do is to is to try and find people who've had some

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experience on, you know, in converting churches to other things. Um, you know, and I don't know whether Preservation Massachusetts would know

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somebody like that. Um, I mean, I think didn't I sort of get a sense from somewhere that that Joe Catalo had done something like this somewhere?

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Something like this. Anyway, >> I don't know if it was a church, but it was something kind of public building though. >> Was it public? Yeah. >> I mean, that's what I'm thinking of cuz cuz it's obviously very different from a house. I mean, a house can always stay a

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house. A big building, it's hard to, you know, you have to sort of figure on what else you could do with it. If you don't want to keep it as a as a as a church, um,

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not having much to do with churches, I I wouldn't know whether, you know, there's other churches that would be interested in this or other religious institutions. I mean, they don't have to be churches. Yeah. No, it's a good idea that >> we've seen,

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you know, I mean, there's some uh religious group that's taken over the old Northern Bank. I No, not the Northern Bank. A bank next to the Northern Bank. >> DCU. The D The old DC. >> That's right. The old

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>> DC temple >> is now a temple. So, somebody somebody was looking for a >> for a building. Maybe there's some other people who are looking for building. Maybe there's a market in >> you could find for people who are looking for buildings that they could

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use for houses of worship. I I mean I think there are there are good fight that would obviously that if you could find something like that that I think would be the ideal but you but if not then something else uh I mean one would like to preserve

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that. >> Yeah. Right. Okay. Well, those are good ideas. I'll follow up with them. Good suggestions. Um, house science program. I think it was

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>> Yeah. >> You know, I have a tendency not to do things that I say I'm going to do. So, I feel bad about offering this. But if if if I were to would anybody object if I called uh Preservation

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Massachusetts and uh go right ahead and said ask them if they have any thoughts about that cuz they tend to be more kind of into that sort of thing anyway. So maybe I'll you know support you 100%.

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Okay. House sign programs. I think that was going to be Rachel and Elizabeth following up on that, right? So, so we'll wait on that till they're back. >> Um, I think we better review our minutes.

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>> We've been somewhat chastised by the town that we're behind on minutes from mostly in the past >> past years. Um, but we have four sets of minutes tonight, I think, that we can review. So, let's see.

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>> I was gonna say outreach education, isn't that all, Rachel? >> Um, yes, it is. The only thing about that is I need to follow up with select board. We talked about possible award award ceremony for Joe Catala for 12 Robinson Road. I mentioned it to Joe,

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but I haven't followed up with select board yet. At this point, I think I'm gonna wait till after town meeting and then can arrange for a day that works for everybody. >> Y um see.

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All right. See if I can do this. Oh, yeah. So Chris, the fir the one set of minutes really was from 2025, right? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Way back. >> It's really the only one that was recorded that >> Oh, yes. Right. We weren't recording

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until we fairly recently. >> That was Yeah, that was the only one. And then Rachel said she had minutes from a bunch of other ones that she's just going to get to me and then I'll just run her through the same system and >> pop them out and then I'll bring them to the next meeting. >> That's great. That's That's great.

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Okay. So, the minutes from these first minutes I'm looking at are from January 8th, 2025. Um, Chris provided the minutes and I made some edits. Does anyone have any additional edits or comments on these minutes?

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>> I ran. I think uh I make a motion that we approve the January 2025 minutes as amended. >> Do I have a second? >> Seconded. >> All in favor? I I >> um the next one is January 27th, 2026

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minutes. Does anyone have any comments or edits for those? >> I recommend that we approve the minutes from January 2026 uh as amended. I think there have they there's red lines in that one?

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>> Yes. Yeah. Um do I have a second? Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Next are minutes from February 25th, 2026. >> Do I have a motion to approve with the amendments, the edits?

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>> I make a motion that we approve the February 2026 Wilson Historic Commission meeting minutes as amended. >> Second. All in favor? >> I. >> And the last ones are

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from March 11th, 2026. >> So, um, Linda, can I just add one of those is a special meeting, right? Um, one of them was the one >> we have the we had to hold the new historic significance. That the 27th. >> It was the Zoom meeting.

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>> I think that was the 27th one. Let me check. >> It was January 27th. >> I think it should. I I think it should say special meeting on it. I don't think it did. >> Okay. So, what should it say? Like >> special meeting at the top.

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>> Okay. You'll make that change. Yep. >> Okay. >> Because it was a meeting that was was um due to statute, right? We had to hold it to vote on historic significance. So, it's a different than a monthly meeting.

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>> Got it. Okay. So, um, Chris will make that edit and >> so that So, that's Yeah. So, we already approved those minutes, but this is an additional edit for that. Okay. >> As amended. As amended.

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>> Yes. As amended. >> Just special meeting. >> Yeah. A special meeting. Okay. >> Okay. And then the last one is March March 11th, 2026.

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Any comments or additional edits? >> I was not present, so I cannot uh in good faith make a motion to accept. >> Anyone else want to make a motion? I move we approve the minutes of March

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11th, 2026. >> Um, do I have a second? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> So, Chris, just so you know, on those minutes, there's only a couple of edits, track changes in here, but they're Yeah, you saw them. >> Okay.

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>> Okay. I think that's it. We're done with those minutes. >> Brilliant. >> What >> I said brilliant. >> Yes. I think we should the commission should recognize Chris for his willingness to do minutes. >> Absolutely. >> Recognize AI here.

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>> Here here. >> Well, you and AI have made it all much easier on us all. >> Of course, at home, >> the community preservation committee as well. >> And you've started Yeah, we've started doing that, too. >> Oh, yeah.

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>> Oh, you've been helping them? >> Yeah, she figured out how to do it. I was helping her for a little bit and she figured it out. >> Direction. >> It really makes difference, doesn't it? >> It was ridiculous though. What was the last one? They were like 24 pages long. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> They were very thorough though. >> Yeah. Yeah.

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>> They were good minutes. Yeah. >> Um Okay. Anything else? Any >> member? Anybody know anything about Pauly's house? >> No. Why? >> Does he cut house? >> Yes. The tree got cut up.

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Oh, it's terrible. >> What is it? I'm not hearing >> Paul Gly's the Gly's house for five to one. She was just wondering what's going on with it. >> Oh, it's brutal. It's It's brutal. >> Is that the one next to the two new houses that we just built right at the fork? >> Yes.

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>> Yeah. >> And those two big trees in the front, those are weakness trees. Those trees were planted when that house was first moved into. It was a colonial custom to point two trees out in front

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and those two trees are still there. >> Does anybody >> more than two trees? >> Does he go in? Does he >> We don't know. >> I don't know. I haven't seen any activity around. >> Oh my god. >> We don't know. >> And the house is full of antiques. >> I don't know if it still is or not.

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>> What is the question? What's going on with the house? >> Well, they're developing the all the property around it. So, I don't know whether the house will I mean Pauly at some point or other mentioned that they want that he want to preserve the house

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and continue to use it and you know develop it or something but I don't know what you know that was a long time ago. So, >> okay. Anything else? All right. Then our next meeting ah that's

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May 13. >> Looks like May 13th. Is that good for people? >> Okay. >> Okay. >> I will be back by then. >> Oh, you will? Okay. You're about to tell us how it was.

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>> Yeah. Right. Okay, if there's nothing else, I'm adjourning the meeting.