Preserving Natick's Photographic History

At a glance

• What: The Natick Historical Society asks for $37,500 in Community Preservation Act funds to digitize and catalog historic photographs.
• Where it stands: Public hearing held July 21, 2026, then continued to August 4, 2026 at 6:30 PM so the Society can supply letters of support. No vote yet.
• Who: Executive Director Lefebvre presented.

Proposal

• Application CPA-26-1 from the Natick Historical Society asks for $37,500 to digitize and catalog part of its photo collection of more than 12,000 items (about 50 boxes), focusing on 1870 to 1970.
• Budget: $25,000 for professional digitization by NEDCC (the same firm that handled the Muster Roll restoration) and $12,500 for a temporary digital archivist (10 hours a week for 50 weeks). The project would run 12 to 16 months from approval. The Society has two part-time staff.
• The application's statement that 100% of the budget is non-CPA money was confirmed as a typographical error (Evans asked).

Committee questions

• Kadden: how the first year fits a 10-year plan. Answer: much will be learned in year one; NEDCC could not estimate what $25,000 buys given the variety of photos.
• Hanna: how photos will be selected. Answer: still open; probably the most interesting first if finishing is unrealistic, otherwise in order.
• Krentzman: whether the Society will return each year (probably, unless other funding appears), and whether the Society would accept CPA-provided signage on the Muster Roll (yes).
• Montemayor: no competitive bids were obtained because few vendors do this work; Boston Public Library has a backlog. Public access would be through a website front end the Society would build outside the project cost.
• Hiller: who the archivist would be (ideally a graduate student, possibly from Simmons) and the lack of letters of support. Answer: about 100 research requests a year and about 3,000 social media followers. Evers said he has used the collection for decades for the Historical Commission.
• Chair Ramage: the Muster Roll restoration cost $5,000; the Society hopes to digitize about 1,000 photographs in year one, though that is not certain.
• Downey: storage and metadata. Photos stay in archival boxes; digital files go to the online catalog and a physical drive from NEDCC, one TIF per photo. He also noted the Letter of Interest requested $15,000 and asked why the request rose; the answer was encouragement to ask for more and a longer timeline. He asked about archivist turnover; the Society expects turnover.

Public comment

• Angelo Ciosi, a resident, said he supports the project and noted text-to-speech could serve hearing-impaired users, but could not promise a letter of support.

Decision

Chair Ramage asked the Society for letters of support and continued the hearing to August 4, 2026 at 6:30 PM. No vote was taken.

Sources

• Community Preservation Committee minutes, July 21, 2026: https://natickma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_07212026-7112

Log

2026-07-21 - Community Preservation Committee

Hearing opened on CPA-26-1; questions on scope, cost, bids and access; one resident spoke in support; continued to August 4.