Cheshire Town Hall Accepted Into Register Of Historic Places
CHESHIRE, Mass. — Town Hall has been accepted into the National Register of Historic Places, which will allow the town to apply for historical restoration grants.
Historical Commission Chairwoman Diane Hitter told the Selectmen on Tuesday that the commission attended a Massachusetts Historical Commission meeting at the State Archives in Dorchester last week for application approval.
"There were only six buildings for the entire year, and we were put up for the nomination over a number of applicants that never got as far as ours," Hitter said. "We were accepted without any question ... it's a great thing."
After the nomination, town representatives were asked last month to attend the meeting.
Now that Town Hall is on the Register, the town can apply for restoration grants to make repairs to the 1898 Colonial revival brick building.
"Hopefully with that, we can get some money to spruce this place up," Chairman Paul Astorino said.
The Selectmen opened up bids for the Windsor and Wells road paving project. A combined total of nearly 9,800 feet of road will be paved.
Lane Construction came in the highest at $67 per ton of blacktop. Warner Brothers came in at $66.50, DelSignore at $66 per ton. HMA was the lowest at $65.88.
Department of Public Works Director Peter LeFebvre said he would review the bids and this round of surface paving should finish the two roads.
He said next he would like to resurface part of West Mountain Road.
He said many roads in Cheshire, but specifically West Mountain Road, need a lot of work but currently the town can only afford to pave.
"It needs a lot of work but you can’t afford it," LeFebvre said. "That’s why blacktopping is the answer for a few years but not the remedy."
He said there are two West Mountain Road culverts that will have to be replaced. He said the town can expect a hefty bill.
"What used to be a $5,000 project is $120,000 now on most of them," he said. "You can't just throw one in anymore, especially if is a perennial stream or a river bank.”
Astorino said he also had concerns about the guardrails on Route 116 that are washing out.
LeFebvre said they are under the town's purview and he estimates it would cost between $2 million to $3 million to do the proper culvert work.
"You have 300 feet of 6-foot diameter culvert and if you go by today's rules and regulations it is all going to have to be put in as an open-bottom culvert," he said. "There isn’t much we can do."
Selectman Robert Ciskowski said even if the road is repaired, it is still vulnerable to washouts. He said it may be beneficial to move the troublesome part of the road.
LeFebvre said the state has looked at this and it would be very expensive and difficult.
"There is no room to do anything. You are right on top of the river and to make the road wider you have to either remove the whole river or pipe in the river and go over the top of it," he said. "Which I don't think is going to pass."
In other business, LeFebvre said Geobash, the local geocache group, cleaned up Stafford Hill Monument as a community service project. He said the group plans to come to the board next year and ask permission to use the area for an event.
Cheshire Town Hall Nominated to National Register by iBerkshires.com on Scribd
Tags: geocache, historical building, paving,
