WINCHESTER — The town’s Historic District Commission wants extra help on a tough decision.
The commission voted Monday to hire a consultant to review the historic value of the house at 71 Main St.
A developer has applied to the commission for permission to demolish the building, which is in the historic district, and replace it with a Dollar General store.
The commission voted to hire Lynne Emerson Monroe, a Kensington historic preservation consultant, to report on the history and architecture of the building, according to Vice Chairwoman Julia Ferrari.
Applicant Zaremba Group of Cleveland still has to confirm that it will pay Monroe’s fee of $2,500, Ferrari said.
The commission is scheduled to vote on the application on July 11.
Controversy over the proposal has pitted those who say the vacant, derelict building should be replaced with a new business against those who say the store doesn’t fit in the historic district.
The building is owned by Margaret Sharra, a member of the town’s planning board, and her two brothers.
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26 comments:
Is it in the historic district or not, bottom line. Its not about a dollar store or any other business.
so the group who wants to put in the store is expected to pay the fee? you got to be kidding me! the HDC thinks they will shell out 2500 to find if there is historical value to this rat trap and screw themselves in the process. funny!
You really need to do some reading or ask some questions before you spout off. For your information, an applicant is required to foot the bill for any consultant, whether it be an engineering firm or any other expert required for a board to make an informed decision. So what's so funny?
This home wouldn't be a rat trap as you call it if the current owner's had taken care of it these past four years instead of allowing it to fall into disrepair. For this they should be rewarded? Why not fined for failing to maintain their property?
Anyone but Sharra would have been told already to hit the road and fix up their mess; but as one of the privileged inner circle of our town she and her brothers have been allowed to rent out an apartment without the proper paperwork and let the place fall apart after she searched and found a buyer interested in the property while on our dime. There is no record anywhere that this property has been on the market for two years as they claim. She can search for grants for sidewalks and other projects in the town she sure as hell could have contacted the state historical commission for help fixing up this old place.
Greed is the driving force behind this whole deal. This is not a good thing for our town and neither is she.
This place has been a dump alot longer than 4 years. we have a ton of run down non maintained houses in these districts and in this town what make this one so special
Ok, Why have a Historical Committee IF they can't decide whats historical? Poor olde Edith Atkins is rolling over in her grave...
I looked at that home, inside and out about 5 years ago when it was forsale. Yes it needed work, but was decent and very livable Structurally it was in good shape, I make still have the home inspection of the place, tho I didn't buy it...
The point is folks don't want another Dollar Store added to a useless dollar store and another junk store in downtown. The historic District folks have a right to turn down these developers preying on a poor town and turn them down on the basis that this is a historic house. Margaret was part of creating the ordinances that govern the historic district ordinance that states the building can't be destroyed for her and her partners greed. A house capable of being on the historic register qualifies for money to restore it. Why didn't she or the town do that instead of letting it go to its current state?
Answer: The facilitator of the Town's Master Plan is the "part" owner and is blatantly ignoring her very own vision set forth for the town. If she can't follow the rules she has set, why should anyone else be expected too? Hence the reason people are appauled by the abuse of power.
Guess the rules are for the common folk, not for the employees of the country club at 1 Richmond Rd.
We don't want or need another store like this on main street, for sure. I do feel that the owners of the yellow house would be ok if it fell down in dis-repair or was burned by vandals some dark night. Dollar stores, tat shops and junk shops is NOT what I want on main street. IF they want to put up another dollar store, there are many other places it could go without tearing down a historic place. To me, this is like the old Boston Garden, (which saved Fenway Park)ok, maybe not quite that big a deal, but we have lost so many old buildings thru the years here in town. We have one of the old in's left, just one of the original 3. The original town hall is gone, as is some of main streets original buildings. We're lucky the tat shop left what is the original post office.How much more do we have to loose before we say enough is enough or will it be when there is so little left, it will not matter.
My question is "How much are cigarettes?" If Maggie can afford butts then she can afford to pay the taxes. The reason I ask is that I saw her taking a butt break before 10. Seems to me if you are part time you don't get any breaks. Oops!
She was just checking to make sure the red hwy truck that shows up everyday, most of the day, is parked in the correct spot. Expensive taxi
The driver of the red truck could paint the lines in the parking lot and save the town some money.
And the same one that is allowing the asphalt plant and was buddy buddy with Clean ( DIRTY) Power so called greenies who were another group of sleasy people who wanted to prey on a poor town. Still disgusted that any of this can happen but certainly par for the course with how this town is governed.
It doesn't matter to me if the yellow house stays or goes, just look around Winchester it's being destroyed within. No civic pride where most home owners owe more that it’s market value while their neighborhood are being destroyed. People are becoming hopeless while loosing there homes, the high taxes aren’t helping.
Look at Parker Street it was one of the neatest place in town. Where people had pride, where everyone kept their homes painted and grass cut. Now you have a house with the word flower in bold letter across the front. Who the Hell allowed that?
I wouldn’t care if they put a Dollar Store on Parker Street, it would be an improvement.
What I do care about is since Margaret Sharra and Gus Ruth has been at the town hall (these Siamese Twins bonded at the hips just read June 6 selectmen minutes where one person tried to stand-up against them) we have had a barge of business hitting our town for permits for dirt, dust, noise, trash, rat infested, junk yards, race tracks and environment damaging that destroy the enjoyment of your property. I think clean business are discouraged by these two Siamese Twins like the Tractor Supply that wanted to be located here. Please they don't want competition
to hurt their friend Gary’s Power EQ. with his over priced products. Not a night goes by without being disturbed from the sounds of fireworks going off, from the fire works store on N. Main Street or all weekend the race tacks and mud bog. We do not have a town here it is a “$hit Hole for profit” for a few at the town hall that is. Who trained Margaret Sharra but the Beaman! So keep your head in the sand and keep voting these fools right in?
WOW you put it in a nutshell!!!!! How many other decent businesses have attempted to come to town and were sent away by the Margaret's and the Beamans, etc and the good old boys??? There was also a computer business that was turned down because the salaries were too high!!!????. THe ones that get in or try to are buying land from one of the inner circle or paying off one of the inner circle or they are turned away. Many of us will follow in the footsteps of Parker Street soon..... high taxes, no jobs and less and less desire to call Winchester home for sure
WE all know what goes on in this town and why and who is responsible. This has gone on for a long long time and will continue to do so until people come to the polls and remove those who only think of themselves and their futures. We finally have some people who have come forward and taken responsibility to shed light on this problem and people who are standing up for all of us. I hope the rest of you take heed and support their efforts and help turn this town around from the wasteland it has become. Long ago this was a very nice place to live, now not so much anymore.
Maybe what we need, to get ride of the old "boys" network is a term limit in town, this could be done as a binding question fairly easily. Limit everyone to two term and done...
If you are part time help why would you come to work on Friday or Saturday and who is checking to see if its town business or personal business with town equipment and supplies.
Another quite peaceful tranquil past weekend in Winchester. Encarta ® . free from commotion: free of any disturbance or commotion like a tranquil morning
Did everyone have the enjoyment of their hard earned property? Maybe we can ask-o-Margaret and Gus if they can invite an airport to town, then the town will be complete with the rest of the $hit they brought town…..
What's all the freaking noise coming from the racetrack today? Since when do we allow racing on a Sunday? What the hell gives? Course you can't call the town and get any answers either, they ain't open. This is BS!!!!!
The rain on Saturday postponed the NASCAR modified tour race till today. It happens.
Monadnock Speedway is not running just NASCAR it running a super modified without proper permits.
The race tracks could be force to control their noise by forcing the selectmen to enforce our noise ordinances. Not the costly fighting the racetracks. All it takes the will and money to fight the people we hired (selectmen) to protect the town’s citizens and preserve the integrity of homes..
If you haven't noticed, the ones that come forward and expose the Margarets and the Dales and the rest of the behind the scenes BS get driven out of office one way or another and those that try and change things get to be called the troublemakers and the pains in the butts. I can understand small town good old boy politics but Winchester is worthy of a reality show. What I fail to understand is WHY the state doesn't come down on the wrong doings here be it the violations at the racetrack. the asphalt plant mess or the behaviors of Margaret or Dale. Or coming down on certain people in town for their properties and allow the mess that exists on Woodard avenue that looks like a combo of a town dump, junkyard and a tent city compound ????????????
RE: I can understand small town good old boy politics but Winchester is worthy of a reality show. What I fail to understand is WHY the state doesn't come down on the wrong doings here...
The state usually don't look into things unless asked by a Mayor or city or town counsel/select board, and that's not likely to happen anytime soon. We have to vote the majority out that they have in office now. They selectively enforce the rules and ordinances as they see fit. I know they would not allow chickens to be moved from the old church on Richmond Rd to one on Parker street, a couple hundred years. BUT are now ok with some on the corner of Richmond Rd and Swan street at the red & tan place. Why the double standard? Oh that's the norm here...
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