DALTON, Mass. — The preliminary work for establishing a second historic district is nearly complete, commissioners said at Wednesday's Historical Commission meeting. 

 

The work was extensive as commissioners navigated the "confusing" technical details and documentation requirements to send to the state Historical Commission for review. 

 

"We've been working diligently on the historic district, and I think we've made a lot of progress," co-Chair Louisa Horth said. 

 

The proposed district starts at Park Avenue, where Main Street Cemetery is, and goes down to Depot Street. It then goes up High and North Streets.

 

The commission has all the pictures needed for this first phase, created all the maps, and organized most of the documentation. 

 

Commissioners hope to be able to send their material to the state within the next week or two. 

 

Once the material is sent, the state Historical Commission will review what was gathered and determine whether the district has a substantial enough historical significance to be considered a district. 

 

The state will have to schedule a site visit of the proposed second district before deciding. It is unclear how long it will take the state to make the decision, commissioners said. 

 

If the state approves its application, the next phase of establishing the second historical district can commence. This phase will require hiring a preservation specialist and could take up to five years due to the extensive work it entails. 

 

Once that is complete, the proposed district must also be approved during town meeting, Horth said. 

 

During a May 2022 town meeting, voters approved a $15,000 matching grant to establish the second and third historic districts. 

 

At the town meeting, the Historic Commission estimated that establishing the next two districts would cost $30,000.

 

When the commission decided to lower the project's scope in June, it was determined that each district would cost $10,000 to establish. 

 

The town had approved using $5,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds to hire a preservation specialist, but the money had to be spent by the Dec. 31 deadline. 

 

Commissioners did not believe they could meet that deadline because it is unclear how long it would take the state to make a decision.

 

The Select Board last week approved rescinding those funds and authorized $5,000 for the commission to purchase a shed for the Fitch Hoose House museum. 

 

The commission has requested that McCann Technical School in North Adams build a shed for its museum to store tents, chairs, and other materials for future events and initiatives they hope to undertake. 

 

The George Hoose Art Month that was held received a lot of positive feedback, said co-Chair Deborah Kovacs.

 

The shed could also be used to store easels for his paintings if they decide to purchase any in the future, Horth said. 

 

It would be 10-by-12 feet, and the commission received an estimate of about $5,000 from McCann's carpentry teacher. 

 

Having McCann build the shed is a great learning experience for the students, Kovacs said. The students have previously helped the commission on another project. 

 

The commissioners also want to work with the carpentry class to modify the shed's design so that it is period-appropriate. 

 

Horth recommended they design it to look like an outhouse because that is what they would have had then.