The Shrewsbury Historic District Commission has a small geographic jurisdiction. But it's enough for them to control the Sumner House, the Common, and the Library. Basically, anything that can be viewed from the windows of the Shropshire Shoppe.
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The HDC has opposed the library's proposed renovation project. I'm not sure what standards they use to decide whether a construction project is allowed to go forward, but they have the power to stop it. Do they base their decisions on what is "historically accurate"? What historical period do they choose? I ought to do more research on this, but maybe someone will come out of the woodwork out their in bloggerville and clue us in.
I also don't understand why they would want to keep that eyesore of the 1979 library addition. How did that thing get their approval in the first place?
Thursday, October 22
Will The Historic District Commission Kill The Library?
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18 comments:
The Shrewsbury Public Library needs to be made handicap accessible. Whether or not it is "historically accurate," it does not matter to the state's Architectural Access Board that does not exempt historical buildings from being accessible. The library is a public building that needs extensive renovations that will benefit all residents and visitors.
Not to speak ill of the dead, but is the building Bob Cole built "historically accurate" with its' vinyl siding and windows? Puhlease
Looking from the Shopshire? Are you kidding? That building is the biggest dump in the district. Kevin Samara ought to fix his own mess before he starts telling anyone else what to do. The only building in the district that is really bad is his, and he's going to squash the library? Isn't it a conflict that he owns a building in the district and has so much control over everyone else? I can see why the distinction is "looking from the Shopshire" and not "looking at the Shopshire/eyesore".
Didn't Samara try to squash the library design based on the "view" or potential for lack of view of the church steeple from the medical arts building?!!! How ludicris! Don't know about you, but the last thing I"m looking for on my way to the doctor in a former grocery store is a New England church steeple!!
Julie,
Depending on why you're going to see a Doctor, maybe the first thing you want to look for is a church steeple!
I am confused. My understanding is that the plans for the library have been available for quite a while. If the HDC has so much authority (and I'm not saying that they shouldn't), why is it that we are only hearing from them so late in the process, instead of during the design phase? And can someone tell us what the specific concerns are?
Don't you find it ironic that the HDC might not like the plans for the library renovation, yet the artist's rendition (these are not final architectural drawings yet) looks an awful lot like the building that once stood on that same corner 200 years ago? Look at the town seal. Look at the drawings. How is that not historically appropriate?!
Two selectmen are against it.
SRT is against it.
and now HDC is against it.
Stick a fork in it, it's done.
As usual when their override is threatened, the advocates come out with misinformation and personal attacks.
The libary doesn't "need" to be made handicap accessible. It already is. (except for a small area called the teen room). However if there is major construction on any part of the building, then the entire building must be brought up to the latest codes.
The library doesn't "need" extensive revonations. It just needs normal maintenance. The cellar should be waterproofed. The boiler is getting old.
Kevin Samara is empowered to make HDC decisions. He made one. Your can disagree with the decision, but should show the man the respect he deserves.
Time and time again there is a distortion of the facts when it comes to spending money. Also, if anyone is brave enough to step forward with a contrary opinion, the person is criticized instead of the opinion. When are the advocates going to realize this behavior doesn't help their cause, it hurts it.
Bob Cole's building...Vynyl Siding and windows???? Get your facts straight, wood clapboard siding and custom wood windows. I know, I worked on that building! You ARE JUST speaking ill of the dead. anon
The beautiful White building in the center of town that houses "Willy's" is not subject to the HDC. The owner chooses to maintain it in that manner, not because they are required to.
I never had any business dealings with Bob Cole. He was his own contractor, and he did a nice job of it. I think the building in the center matches the district very well, in it's colonial charactor, and village storefront layout. Remember what it used to look like? Due to Bob's forsight, now we have two nice restaurants, affordable apartments, and a nice village type sidewalk development. I remeber people were mad when he stalled on relocating the old Commerce Bank building to the rear of that site. It was said he ran into money issues on that. Apparently he had some pretty good forsight on that though, because today, there sits a nice new bank.
Bob also built the plaza where Petco and Trader Joe's are. I'm not a fan of the architecture (too monolithic), but there are nice taxpaying store there, all of which seem to be doing a brisk business.
With our lopsided tax base, this town could use a few more Bob Coles.
Bob
I think people are referring to the building that houses Shropshire, not Mr Cole's building when they speak of the eyesore. I really love the top/roof line of the Cole building. It seems to me that the plans for the library were well known for quite some time, why are we just hearing about the HDC opposition and furthermore, is it just Mr Samara or the entire HDC that opposes the library architecture? Has this just become an issue being raised now to justify further exploring locating a new building for the library somewhere besides the center of town. Maybe the HDC is doing us a favor and giving us an opportunity to talk about a new site for the library again.
Hello Anonymous on Saturday at 9:33 AM -- your facts are not all correct. The entire library is NOT handicapped accessible. Many of the aisleways for books cannot be navigated by a wheelchair. And the so-called "teen lounge" is often used for Library Trustee meetings and other community groups -- it is not accessible to someone in a wheelchair. In particular, the children's room is not fully accessible. While the elevator may accomodate certain styles of wheelchair, it is not up to the current code of today's accessibility requirements. I'm surprised our local Commission on Disabilities is not raising a fuss about this. As for Mr. Samara and the Historic District Commission, they should not be trying to block this project at such a late date. I agree with the other posters who suggested that the Shropshire place should be cleaned up before any criticisms are levied at other "historic" properties in the center of town.
Two selectman don't want it and SRT is against it - so what! The voters of the town will decide, not groups with political aspirations or a group that says "no" to everything.
"Two selectman don't want it and SRT is against it - so what! The voters of the town will decide, not groups with political aspirations or a group that says "no" to everything."
If the Historic District Commish kills it, it'll never get to the voters anyway.
Do they have to answer to anybody? Do they have to have actual reasons to deny something like this? Is there any appeal process?
A comment was rejected because it was not about the Historic District Commission and the Library.
Does the Commission have any power or are they just an advisory group? What's the law?
In viewing the postings on this topic I am not sure what to make of the discourse. It is not a matter of how well certain community members keep up their property. It is also not a matter of complaining about the HDC. The real issue is the library is simply outdated and the current expansion plan does not make sense. The parking is limited, and I am not sure how expanding the footprint of the building is going to solve that problem. Did I also mention how wonderful it is to sit in traffic just to get to the library to find that the lot is full.
Would it be terrible to find another location that is more convenient for those of us who do not live within walking distance. I would not mind having modern facility that can accomodate the needs of all the community.
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