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Readsboro Citizens Eye Uses for Historic BuildingBy Jen Thomas - April 13, 2008
iBerkshires Staff
 | | File photo of the Bullock building in Readsboro |
READSBORO, Vt. — The forces behind efforts to restore the E.J. Bullock building on Main Street may not know exactly what the future holds for the historic building - but at least now they have an idea.
Following last month's community meeting, members of Readsboro Hometown Redevelopment Inc. and Readsboro Arts Inc., the organizers working to help rehabilitate the structure, walked away with dozens of suggestions from nearly 80 interested town residents.
According to David Marchegiani, Readsboro Hometown Redevelopment's chairman, suggestions for future uses of the building ranged from transforming the property into housing or office space or using the structure as a community arts gallery to relocating the town office to the building.
"The people who participated in the discussion were really into it. There was a whole mixture of people there and a lot of other community members are interested in it. It's the focal point in the center of our town," said Marchegiani.
Attendees to the March community meeting were separated into groups and asked to come up with potential uses for the 19th-century building after being updated on the project's progress since 2006. Later, when the suggestions were listed, townspeople were asked to vote on which ideas they most supported.
The most popular suggestion, showing up in all five groups' lists and garnering 27 votes, was to use the space for arts-related projects.
"Everything from art galleries and studios to performances and music were suggested," said Marchegiani.
Other popular choices included using the property to house the town office (18 votes), resurrecting the movie theater (12 votes), and using the building for a gym or a brewery (11 votes each).
Asked what issues were of most concern, citizens outlined key questions that they feel require answers before any formal projects are approved. Major areas of concern include a lack of parking, confusion about the funding structure and cost for future construction, and the ownership and management of the building.
Armed with the public's suggestions and concerns and a project summary, the next step for the organizers is to meet with area nonprofit organizations, including Housing Vermont, a nonprofit development company, and Preservation Trust of Vermont, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the state’s historic sites.
"We're up to the point now where we need to have meetings and answer these questions," said Marchegiani. "That's our next move. Answer these questions about who's going to finance the project, who's going to own the building. We have to put this information together and make a game plan."
Marchegiani said he did not know how long the project would take to get started but he was hopeful about the forward momentum.
"We're going to get this all together and make this happen," he said. |
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