WHATELY — As the town gears up to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to sell the former Whately Center School, the Selectboard discussed the Historical Commission’s recommended preservation restrictions for the 113-year-old building on Chestnut Plain Road.
The recommendations presented by Historical Commission Chair Donna Wiley Tuesday evening center around preserving the building’s exterior, following the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for historical preservation to qualify for tax credits and protecting the well-known Quonquont Milk Bottle.
The Selectboard signaled its support for these drafted recommendations, but they must be approved by the Massachusetts Historical Commission before a RFP can be issued because state law requires restrictions to be listed ahead of time, according to Town Administrator Brian Domina. Town counsel will also review the recommendations.
“This is a draft and it would be included in the RFP as a draft; in other words, whoever bought the building might want to negotiate parts of it,” Wiley said. “That’s quite standard.”
Key recommendations include preserving the exterior, while also allowing the Historical Commission to review any proposed restoration or modifications of the exterior; meeting qualifications for historic tax credits and grants; annual Historical Commission inspections; not obstructing the view of the building; and granting the Whately Historical Society, the milk bottle’s owners, access to maintain the bottle.
“Another benefit to the town of doing this is it will put a building and property, which are assessed at $576,000, back on the tax rolls,” Wiley added.
The town has spent the last few years trying to determine the future of the former school. At the beginning of the year, an RFP to lease the building to a long-term renter, who would redevelop the building at a reduced rent, received no interest. The building has been vacant since 2018.
The Massachusetts Historical Commission is expected to issue its approval decision within 30 to 60 days, according to Wiley. Once the draft is approved and town counsel reviews it, Domina said in an email that the town will issue an RFP for the building.
Selectboard Chair Joyce Palmer-Fortune thanked Wiley and the Historical Commission for their work in researching and developing the preservation recommendations.
“It sounds like you drummed up a lot of resources that are going to be helpful in this process,” she said. “That’s a lot of work you guys did, thank you.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.