2026-10-27 - Historical Commission

All right. Well, this is the uh Tuesday, October 27, 2026 meeting of the Historic Commission. And uh let me read our in-person opening statement. The Historic Commission meeting is now in session.

This meeting is being recorded. Pursuant to the Massachusetts Open Law meeting, any other person in attendance making an audio or video recording of this meeting must notify the chair at this time.

Recordings will be accessible on the town's website and YouTube channel, www.suttonmass.gov. The meeting is now in session. So, we have enough people to uh first order of business is approve minutes

from our August 25th meeting. Did everybody receive a copy and review them? >> All right. We do have a quorum, so we will uh take a vote to approve. >> motion. >> Hm? >> We have >> Oh, yeah, that's

true. Thank you. Thank you, Wally. >> I make a motion that we accept and approve the minutes. >> I second. >> I >> All right. So, Wally, do you approve? I mean, you made the motion, so >> I approve.

>> Rochelle? >> I approve. >> I approve. >> I approve. Meetings have uh mo- Minutes have have been approved. >> >> And All right. Uh we have no no public forum. Uh no hearings planned. Uh about board

business, I have a couple of a couple of items that uh I had mentioned. Uh Wally, I were you contacted to re-up or are you continuing to >> know. I can go volunteer. >> Huh? >> I'll go volunteer. >>

Uh yeah, it's I it was my understanding that you when you came in due to your time and due to the timing, you were filling you filled the rest of Chris O'Leary's term. >> Yeah. >> As as he had

resigned. Um his term was officially up June June 30th of 2026. >> Yeah, okay. Well, I'll go speak to the powers that be tomorrow. >> Okay. I Yeah, cuz >> See what's going on. >> Cuz I wasn't Yeah, so

so check on that. >> Mhm. >> The web- the website has you up until 2029. Then I'm not >> Well, maybe I was. >> I'm not sure who who up who updated it. >> Maybe I did. >> Okay. That's Well, let's >>

What are you doing? >> Well, we'll check on that. >> Yeah. >> But you are planning to to stay on? >> Correct. >> Okay, the second order of board business that I I had was uh I don't know if everybody

got it, but I did send out a copy of um the the annual conflict of interest training that the state requires. Did everyone Did anybody get it on their own or as You get You did get one. >> Well, I got

one. I've been doing this for years. Yeah, I think they just sort of send it out. >> Yeah, well, you're you're supposed to get one every every year, every 2 years. It's a It's a more involved training

session and then every year is It's the quick summary. >> I've only done it once the whole time I've done this. >> >> So, um I I have I have I've been being good. >> I used to get them when I was a

teacher, so Yeah, they would give them to the teachers. >> So, I I did send out the link, so everybody who hasn't done it yet should should go on and do it. Um You If you haven't done it If you

haven't done it before, you have to set up an account. And maybe once you get that account set up, then you get on the reminder list of it, but either way, we are supposed to do it, so and we were all

supposed to do it in August. >> >> I will do it. >> So, so if we can do that, We have any old business? I don't think anybody had any homework assignments from the last from last meeting. >> I don't

think so. >> But, uh Yeah, we There There hasn't been any um I haven't heard of any any updates regarding the parking plan for the town. Uh I assume no no further updates on the on the our wayward >>

Star. >> Yeah, our star. >> No. I did I actually I did talk at the meeting cuz last night was my meeting. And um they said if one is not found, we and if the town wants one, we can put something up

together to get one to replace the one downstairs. So. It would probably, I don't know if we can do it without Paul, but we could probably table it and discuss it next time. >> Yeah. Yeah, we'll we'll

deal with that. And um I I I have nothing. Rochelle? >> I have nothing. >> Nothing? >> nothing. >> All right. Uh let's see. We We did have an an item new business. Um I think Paul would It It's an

idea Paul had. Um I'll give you a a a summary. Um but I I think it's it's best to hear it directly from him. But uh he he was thinking He was thinking that it might be something of of interest for for

the board or for the for the commission, I should say, to potentially recognize people who have uh you know, added added or maintained historical character of the town. And as in, you know, they

they've maintained their buildings to, you know, if they live in a historic building, they've maintained it to to, you know, match sort of the historic um character of it. Um you know, or if they've

renovated a building, they've >> Mhm. >> done something, you know, kept it in there, even an outdoor space. Those were sort of the three main categories that he you know, he he floated to me. And And

And this was just in a a short uh message uh to add it to the agenda, basically. Uh His His thought was uh yeah, that we would define these these things. Uh and then put it out for the public to

nominate. And we would then pick from from the nominations. I think it I think it's an interesting idea. I think there's some logistics issues involved, but again, I'd like I'd like to hear and and

have Paul present to really do that. So >> Yeah. >> So beyond making you you know, the the commission members aware of it, I think we table it until do we have Paul's presence. >> Yeah. >> Does

anybody else have any any new business? >> I am I do not. Moving right along here. So announcements, correspondence. No no announcements. The only correspondence that that we received was just a

notification of Waters Farm Days. And and they do provide us with complimentary passes, but that doesn't help anybody at this point, unfortunately. >> It's the by week. >> >> I I was up there last not

>> Saturday? >> Two two Sundays ago. >> Yeah. >> And it was a it was a it was a lovely day. >> Oh yeah, beautiful weather. >> Yeah, lots and lots of cars. >> Oh yeah. >> Yeah, pretty pretty good

attendance. It really was a much nicer day than I was expecting. So yeah, we were up there and spent a couple hours up there. >> Who's in the house in the two days? >> You were in the house? >> But

that that's all there was for correspondence since the last meeting. The That's what I mean I think we may have set an an an actual record here. >> Cool. Moving right along. >> >> Uh Yeah, again, I

think Paul Paul's topic was would have >> Yeah, that was really good. >> would have had a lot more discussion, but yeah. >> I don't know if this should have gone under new business. I was talking to

Rochelle. Um so, Concord did the same thing we did recently with the ground penetrating radar in the graves. Um at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, they discovered five bodies. They The town did DNA test. They

were able to actually find the the names of the people. All four All five of them are soldiers. Two Rev War, one War of 1812, and two Civil War. >> Yeah, my god. >> And they've they were able through

um the lineage organizations and um the Veterans Department, they were able to get um new gravestones for all five of them. And they're going to be doing a dedication service on November 1st at 1:30.

So. And I will be there to be the chaplain for uh all three organizations, even though I'm a member of two. >> Interesting. >> Wow. >> All right. Well, a- anything else? Okay. Well, I don't I don't

hear I don't hear any uh pitter-patter of feet. >> >> No Russian. Yeah. All right. Well, do we do we have a motion? >> I have a motion that we close this meeting. >> Second. >> Okay. All in favor? >>

Aye. >> Aye. >> Meeting is adjourned at 7:16.