1996-06-04 Historical Commission Minutes

Home Browse Search

R , 'E Tx NI 0 R yyp D { ?;t ti n S Minutes Reading Historical Commission June , 1995 The meeting was convened at 7:40 p.m. b~ ~ ilL 10 1142 Ali u Regular Members present: Ed Palmer, Ted Smethurst, Virginia Adams, David O'Sullivan. Associate members present: Colonel Wilbur Home, Gladys Montgomery Jones, Frank Orlando. Guests present: Joe Delaney, Jon. Edwards, Louise Sandberg, Roberta Sullivan, Alan Ulrich. The minutes of the May 7 meeting were not available for approval, as John McCauley, Secretary, was not present. Joe Delaney, Town Engineer, presented current plans for Route 129 incorporating all of the Historical Commission's suggestions, and requested a letter of support frorn the Commission. The Commission. unanimously agreed to provide a letter, and Gladys agreed to draft one, with copies to the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the Massachusetts Highway Commission. David O'Sullivan, Treasurer presented the report showing a balance of $45.43 in account #1 and $1,18 1, reflecting the $700 grant from the 350th Preservation Trust, in account #2. The Commission reviewed and approved payment of the last bills of 1996, which totaled $556.99. The budget for 1997 is $750. Members applauded Virginia Adams for her advocacy at Town Meeting that resulted in the 1997 allocation. David discussed plans for the Pearl. Street School. Jon Edwards introduced, in absentia, summer intern Miriam Tropp, who will be working with the Downtown Steering Committee to develop sign.age standards and will contact the Commission for input. He reported that a grant of $250,000 in Transportation Enhancement Funds is likely to be available to hire a consulting team to address streetscape issues, including historic preservation, and to develop detailed working construction drawings. He picked up on a remark Virginia had made earlier that the challenge is how to express visually what Reading is, including those qualities that differentiate it from other communities. Discussion included the question. of how to develop reference points for storefronts that lack historical documentation. Jon. noted that materials archived by the Commission had been a key source of information and urged the Corrmussi.on to become involved in the project. Jon provided an update on the Brooks pharmacy move to the old Municipal Light Building on Haven Street; a settlement was reached over the oil contamination. on the site and the move is likely to proceed as planned. Ed reported that Reading's new bookstore, Chapter One, is willing to sell copies of At, Wood End, at the same price they are sold at Town Hall., providing a second location for sales and an extra day (Town Hall is closed Saturdays). Virginia moved that Chapter One be allowed to sell the - book on these terms, Ted Smethurst seconded, and the motion. was carried 4-0. Gladys offered to draft a. letter of agreement that would than be cleared with the Town Attorney.