The 1835 Town Hall roof, structure and lift project continues with good progress.

Structure

This month we have seen the installation of steel reinforcement at Bay 1 and 2 which nearly finishes the structural reinforcement of the entire roof.  Click on any image for full view.

Lift

We had expected the lift the first week of December, but the vendor, Garaventa, has had some delays and the lift is now expected to be delivered on December 17th. We will be putting in a shaft vent (required by fire regulations) at the top of the portico before the lift is delivered. We expect to have a functioning lift just after new year.

MCFF 2018 and 2019 Grant Funding

We have a rough plan for the spending of the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund Grant and are working to finalize the plan by the second week in December and review with the Board of Selectmen.

On November 16th, the 1835 Town Hall Committee notified the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund that we intend to apply for an additional $100,000 for the FY 2019 grant cycle. We had requested $200,000 in FY 2018 and were granted $100,000.

Septic

In October, Cabco engineering has determined the elevations for the septic at the 1835 and at the forced main. Cabco is proceeding to prepare the details for the easements we will need for 27 Main Street and 2 Pine Street.Easement language is expected in December and final plans are due in January 2019.

Use of the 1835 Town Hall Building

All our efforts have been devoted to saving this wonderful and important building. We have done that!  We will soon turn to the ongoing capabilities and use of the building, it’s offices and meeting rooms and especially the Great Hall. Many factors come into play when determining the types of uses, events and functions we will be able to host. Included are access, septic, sanitary facilities, structural capacities and fire code requirements.

The 1835 Town Hall Committee will be discussing these issues and the schedule for reopening the building for use at our December 10th meeting.