The 1835 Town Hall Committee is working to obtain funding in 2017 (FY2018) to repair roof structure and replace roof covering which will also return the Great Hall to 19th Century vaulted ceilings and open architecture. (We have also provided Capital and

Finance Committees with projected costs for septic resolution and universal access). The roofing project will trigger compliance with Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (AAB) regulations (521 CMR) applying to the use of public buildings by the physically handicapped.

The 1835 Town Hall Committee strongly supports and is working hard to achieve universal access to the Town Hall. We will seek Town, donor and grant funding to bring it to fruition in the near future. However, there are administrative and financial constraints that prevent us from attaining these goals simultaneously with our roofing project.

The Committee has therefore sought advice and guidance as to the variance process from the Massachusetts AAB to postpone and/or adjust compliance.

Mr. Thomas P. Hopkins, Executive Director, Massachusetts Architectural Access Board kindly agreed to visit Sterling and present us with guidance and case studies to help us through the process. We are hopeful that armed with this information we will be able to obtain variances in time and code so that we can accomplish this important mission thoughtfully, effectively and permanently all the while maintaining the historical character of the Town Hall.