Chairman Ben Guthro shocked his fellow members of the Historical Commission with his abrupt resignation at the close of the group’s June 6 meeting. His surprising announcement came after a productive meeting with votes on two significant measures: one on plans to make the old library wheelchair accessible and another recommending a revision to the Harvard Common Historic District plan that will determine whether the new elementary school is under the commission’s jurisdiction, which might delay construction.
A sharply worded resignation
Guthro waited until the meeting was winding down and then announced he wanted to read a statement. It turned out to be a letter of resignation. He linked his decision to an Open Meeting Law complaint filed by Still River resident Deborah Skauen-Hinchliffe. Her complaint, dated May 17, charged resident Nate Finch and the commission with violating both the Open Meeting Law and the state wiretapping law. She said Finch had failed to notify the commission he was recording its May 9 meeting, and the commission in turn had failed to announce the recording to the public. She asked Finch to apologize by placing an ad in this paper.
The May 9 meeting was well attended because both the old library and the elementary school were on the agenda for discussion. Because Town Hall meeting rooms were already booked, the commission met in Hildreth House, which lacks recording facilities for Harvard Cable TV. Finch’s video camera stood on a tripod between the audience and the board. Skauen-Hinchliffe attended and sat at the table with the commissioners, who consulted her once during the meeting about how to proceed under the Open Meeting Law. No one mentioned the video camera, and at least one member of the commission later said he did not realize what it was.
The Historical Commission’s official response to the complaint, dated June 5, acknowledged that Finch had not notified the chair of his recording as required by law, and therefore the chair had not notified the public. The letter stated that the commission would be more vigilant in the future about any recordings that audience members might be making.
Guthro read his resignation letter aloud last week with Skauen-Hinchliffe in the audience. He accused her of “acting in bad faith” and discouraging people from volunteering for town boards. He called her actions “vindictive and cowardly” and said he was “exhausted by the pussyfooting around, whenever she attends a meeting.” His resignation, he wrote, was effective immediately.
In a later telephone conversation with the Press, Skauen-Hinchliffe responded, “I think he needs an anger management course. … I don’t think it’s vindictive to expect a board or commission to follow the Open Meeting Law.” In past years, she has filed similar complaints against other town boards, most recently the School Building Committee.
Vote for a ramp at the old library
Earlier in the meeting, commission members voted 5–2 to approve a plan from the Old Library Accessibility Committee (OLAC) to reopen the building’s original front entrance and install a ramp to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The plan also includes a fanlight above the entrance and restoration of the original tile flooring that was found under carpeting in the entryway. Commission members David Vannicola and Emanuel Lindo voted against the plan, with Vannicola saying the ramp looked too futuristic and asking for a new design. Select Board member Ken Swanton, who is also on the accessibility committee and presented part of its proposal to the commission, pointed out that OLAC had already spent two years looking at design options.
A question of jurisdiction
In a unanimous vote, the commission also approved a recommendation to the Select Board for a change to the current Harvard Common Historic District plan, known as Revision D, which would come before voters at a Special Town Meeting this fall. As they had discussed in their May meeting, commission members agreed to put forward two versions of the new plan, called Revision E.
At issue is an annotation on Revision D that states “School buildings excluded” from the Historical Commission’s jurisdiction. On the plan, the note is next to the Bromfield School. But Town Counsel Mark Lanza has said the note as written covers both school buildings. Town Administrator Tim Bragan told the commission to clear up any ambiguity, Guthro said at last month’s meeting.
In the first version of the proposed change, the note would be revised to read, “School buildings constructed on lot identified on said plan as lot 17 (21AcC) excluded.” If two-thirds of voters at the fall meeting approve that version, only school buildings on the lot where the Bromfield School now stands would be excluded. That is the version the commission has said it prefers.
Should that version fail, the second option offered to voters would be one that reads, “School buildings constructed on lots identified on said plan as lot 17 (21AcC) and lot 42 (6.5AcC) excluded.” Under the second version, school buildings on both sides of Mass. Ave would be outside the commission’s jurisdiction.
In the public comment period, Devens resident Corey Dufresne brought up a question that had also been raised at an earlier commission meeting: What happens if neither measure wins the necessary two-thirds vote? There was no clear answer. Dufresne also said the commission’s preference for retaining jurisdiction over the elementary school was leading some residents to see it as obstructionist, even if that was not the commission’s intent.
Whether or not the Historical Commission has official jurisdiction over the new elementary building, School Superintendent Linda Dwight has said in several public meetings that the School Building Committee hopes to cooperate with the commission to create a building that is in keeping with the town center. She sent the commission a letter to that effect, which members discussed at the June 6 meeting.
Some members questioned their authority to have any input on the school building without a formal application for approval from the building committee. But member Pam Marston, who was also elected the new chair, suggested that the case of the recent Hildreth House renovation was comparable. Even though Hildreth House was not within the historic district, the commission had agreed to “endorse” the renovation plan. On a similar basis, she said, the commission could meet with members of the School Building Committee for discussions. The outgoing chair, Guthro, agreed to call Dwight and arrange a time for a meeting.
