Saving Southlawn: "More To It Than We Thought"

By Susan BushPrint Story | Email Story
Martin Johnson of the Monument Conservation Collaborative worked on a Southlawn cemetery gravestone on Aug. 14.
Williamstown - "There was a lot more to it than we thought when we first started." The words were spoken by South Williamstown Community Association member Regina Rouse, who is also a member of the association's historical committee and a driving force behind an ongoing Southlawn cemetery restoration project. Speaking during an Aug. 15 interview, Rouse offered details about the current work and plans for future restoration and preservation initiatives. Restoration experts of the Monument Conservation Collaborative LLC are tackling restoration of over 100 gravestones at the Route 7 cemetery. Getting Here From There But getting from the restoration idea phase to a restoration project required over two years of dedicated effort and a genuine interest in preserving the history and family legacies of the community. "About two or three years ago, we became concerned about the condition of the Southlawn cemetery," Rouse said. "Stones were coming down one after another. And we understood that the [town] cemetery department didn't have the money or the skills to repair these stones." A contingent that included Rouse, John MacDonald, Ann Tiffany and Shirley Sylvester began trying to devise a solution to the problem. Rouse said that she researched the availability of grant funds for such a project and learned that cemetery preservation grant pickings were quite slim. As she investigated possible funding options, Rouse also contacted the office of state Rep. Daniel Bosley. Bosley suggested that the group contact the Massachusetts Historical Commission. The state commission may provide grant funds to cemetery preservation of historic gravestones via a lengthy and detailed application process, Rouse said. "I probably spent about 100 hours filling out the state applications," she said. "It's a complicated process; the town owns the cemetery, the South Williamstown Community Association is the legal entity that applied for the grants and the association historical committee actually initiated the work." Money And Requirements In addition to state funds, the group asked town voters at the 2004 May Town Meeting to approve an initial $35,000 Community Preservation Act grant for the project. Voters approved the funds and the following year, voters approved a $54,000 CPA grant for the undertaking. The state historical commission granted $40,000 to the project, Rouse said. As part of the project requirements, a condition assessment at the cemetery was necessary, Rouse said. The assessment was funded via grant funds, as was the hiring of a project consultant, which was also part of the requirement for utilizing state money, Rouse said. The work being done now must be completed by June 2007 and will not drain the project's funding abilities, she said. "Any money left over will go toward a second phase," Rouse said. "We have stones that we couldn't do [as part of the current project]. We'd like to do the whole cemetery. We'd like to get the cemetery in decent shape and start an endowment fund." There were times when progress seemed painfully slow, but the endeavor has been worth the effort, Rouse said. Oldest Stone Marks Grave Of A Child "This has been an adventure," she said. "There's been some pleasure. It's nice to see these stones being worked on." Rouse said the stone believed to be the Southlawn cemetery oldest, that of a two-year-old child, has been repaired. Also included in the restoration work was the stone of the cemetery founder, Issac Stratton. Much of the gravestone damage occurred as a result of weather and conditions such as earth shifts due to freeze-thaw cycles. The soil in the cemetery isn't well suited to very large monuments, Rouse said. Many stones stood up to the tests of time and weather quite well, she noted. "Some of these stones go back to the 1770s, and if they are falling down now, that's pretty remarkable," she said. Eastlawn Cemetery Gravestone Damage Numerous gravestones erected at the oldest portion of the Eastlawn cemetery on Route 2 are in various stages of deterioration. Rouse said that she would be willing to offer advice and guidance to any group that might want to seek a restoration for those stones. "It would be nice if some of the other cemeteries got some groups to back them," she said. The town owns the Southlawn, Eastlawn and Westlawn cemeteries and the Selectmen act as cemetery commissioners; Williams College owns its' own burial ground. House of Local History members are working to establish a database of all those buried in the town cemeteries, including several small cemeteries that are no longer used, Rouse said. And while the process of acquiring cemetery restoration funds can be tedious and may at times border on frustrating, preserving family and community history is a worthy pursuit. "Not to mention respecting the dead," Rouse said. "It was a lot more [work] than I anticipated. But once you jump into it, it seems too much to jump out. And I'd be willing to share what we've learned. That would probably cut the time down considerably." Susan Bush may be reached via e-mail at suebush@iberkshires.com or at 802-823-9367.
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Williamstown Board Opts to Negotiate with College on Water St. Lot

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff

Newly elected board member Nate Budington, far left, participates in his first in-person meeting along with, from left, Matt Neely, Stephanie Boyd, Peter Beck, Shana Dixon and Town Manager Robert Menicocci.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday decided to enter into negotiations with Williams College on the sale of the vacant town-owned lot at 59 Water St.
 
But the board members made it clear that the college's proposal to acquire the lot is a starting point, not a final deal that the elected officials would accept.
 
"For the sake of continued conversation, I'm in favor of [awarding Williams the site], but if this process wasn't continued with the opportunity for further negotiation, I wouldn't vote to continue this," Peter Beck said. "I think that next step is necessary for us to get to a yes on this."
 
"I think there's wide agreement on that," Matthew Neely said just before the 5-0 vote to enter talks with the college.
 
Williams was the sole respondent to a town-issued request for proposals to develop the former town garage site, currently a dirt lot.
 
The college's stated intent is to build a new Facilities office and create up to 170 parking spaces at 59 Water Street. That use will allow the college to redevelop the current Facilities building site and parking lot as part of a reconception of the school's indoor athletic and recreation facilities.
 
Under the terms of the RFP, the college's proposal was subjected to review by an ad hoc advisory committee to the town manager, who brought the question to the Select Board. That board will have the final say on any purchase and sales agreement.
 
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