Boston Globe on-line article on saving the circa 1740 Clark Tavern. The article is dated tomorrow, so it may be in the paper tomorrow – I did not see it in today’s paper.
We have a zoning bylaw that allows the Zoning Board of Appeals to permit any use of historic structures that its deems worthy, and maybe that will allow someone to come forward with an economically feasible re-use. I would love to see it become a B & B, similar to the Wayside Inn.
If the town were interested in purchasing such a property, it would be a perfect fit to use Community Preservation Act monies. Under the CPA historic preservation is one of the three mandated areas for which monies can be spent. The other two are open spaces and affordable housing. Under the CPA towns agree to tax themselves an extra 1 – 3% a year, and the state then gives them matching monies, so that your property tax monies go further and do more. About half the towns in the state have opted in to the CPA. Medfield’s annual town meeting (ATM) voted down participation in the CPA several years ago, but it is probably one of those things that we should re-examine.
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