Cheshire Select Board Changes Name of Former Elementary School
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The members of the Select Board walked into Cheshire Elementary School for Tuesday's meeting.
They walked out of the Cheshire Community House when it was over.
And nobody even had to change their seats.
The board voted, 5-0, to change the name of the 100-year–old former school to reflect its next life as the home of town offices and a community event space.
Before the vote, Town Administrator Jennifer Morse reported that she had received some verbal comments from residents in favor of "Community House" and at least one suggestion that it be called the "Community House and Town Offices."
Select Board member Michelle Francesconi suggested it made more sense to keep the name simple, and the rest of the panel, with no discussion, voted to approve Community House as the new name.
In a separate vote, the board OK'd a name change for a different town building.
The board followed the recommendation of the Council on Aging and voted unanimously to rename the nearby Community Center the Cheshire Senior Center.
"Everyone's been calling it the Senior Center forever," Francesconi noted. "It's not like it's radical."
That name change led to a discussion about signage for town buildings and roads.
Morse reported that the COA had an initial design for a sign that used black, white and red. Morse noted that with the town's street signs needed an upgrade, it might be time to look at signage holistically.
Board Chair Shawn McGrath said it made sense to have standardized signs, and members agreed that they liked the look of the black and white signage at the town cemetery.
"We should choose a font for the town that we start using consistently and come up with graphics for a letterhead and everything so we have a brand in town that is consistent … and consistent on all our signs," Francesconi said.
Morse said the town could start the conversation by coordinating with the Council on Aging on signs for the newly named Senior Center and Community House.
"We'll all work together to come up with something everyone can be happy with," she said.
In other business on Tuesday, the board appointed Whitney Flynn as assistant treasurer and collector and Kellie Lahey to a seat on the Board of Assessors.
Morse said town staff was super excited to bring in Flynn, who attended Tuesday's meeting and told the board she could begin on Monday, July 24.
Morse also reported to the board that the town had addressed a complaint from a resident about trash at the site of the Stafford Hill Monument, and town Facilities Manager Corey McGrath said the town is in the process of installing a gate at the site.
Repairs to the monument also were discussed. The town has received a quote of $145,000 to restore the 1927 monument to the town's 18th-century founder.
Select Board member Jason Levesque asked if there might be historical grants available to do that work.
Morse said she would talk to the town's Historical Commission about pursuing grants and suggested that some combination of grants and fundraising likely would be needed to undertake the repairs.
The newly dubbed Community House made two other appearances on the agenda of the 50-minute meeting.
Morse said the town was on track to submit an Americans with Disabilities Planning Grant by the June 30 deadline. And the board approved use of the school grounds for the Cheshire Community Association's inaugural Cheshire Summer Festival on Saturday, July 22, from 5 to 8 p.m.
The CCA plans a raffle with items donated by local businesses, face-painting, balloon animals, live music from the Eddie Forman Orchestra, food from Ozzie's Food Truck and a ceremony honoring the first 100 years of the Community House, née Cheshire School.
Tags: cheshire community house, cheshire school,
