However, that does involve uh the style, the material, the type if it's a prefinished product like vinyl siding or everlasters. It's already they end up having a say in what is being put on your house. We've these are people who have paid for these properties that had a vision for these properties and that now will not have any say on the front face of their property. What is the main view of what this looks like? Um what also happens is that these products tend to be historical products are very expensive. Typically if you were reverting back to something that is for a specific time period they tend to be more costly. Uh, and what happens then is then is this the price goes up. People don't can't afford to have these repairs done and so then the property ends up deteriorating in value over time.
And then I will end our comments uh congratulating the Anaheim High School choir for earning a gold ranking at the World Strides National Choir Festival and for being invited to perform at Carne Carnegie Hall in New York City next year. So thank you. Hey, good. All right, I won't repeat everything that they just said because I was there except a couple things that uh beyond that. Uh last night I attended for PTA put on a Kennedy and Walker paint night where they had about 65 people come in and and uh I think it was the the teacher was from Kennedy, the art teacher, and led the all these people in how to paint. So they all had canvases about a 12 x 18 canvas and and step by step by step she was teaching them how to what colors to put here and there. So that was interesting.
No. All right. I don't have anything further. So that brings us to adjournment. No further. I move we adjourn. We have a motion. Hello. Second. All approved. I thank you everyone. Did anyone abstain from the meeting? Abstain from adjouring. Yeah. I just
It's also a ton of red tape. It's it's a lot of time period that passes before anything can be done. We already have permit processes and and everything. Um, and also somebody had said something about a cohesiveness that they wanted for the town. We have a planning board already in place that provides a cohesiveness for our community. So, um, that's all. So, I would prefer this not to pass. Thank you. Thank you. My name is Margot Ellsworth. I'm sorry, Margot. It's We're moving over here. Sorry. No worries. She can go. That's fine. Kathy Rooney, 136 Fountain Street. So before I went to the his one of the hearings, so the historic commission, I ran into one of my new neighbors who owned a historic building on my street in town, and I started talking to him about what he was doing. This this property is not part of the historic district, but this property owner has been consulting with the historic commission already because they have lived in town for 30 years.
Um uh instead of going to the A meeting I went to La Palma City Council meeting where they recognized um Kennedy students for all almost well I'll just read basketball cross country football wrestling for their achievements uh throughout the year. So they were they achieved heights that I didn't realize they had achieved so many. Then after that then they recognized three employees of the district and they were all doctors. Dr. Nan, Dr. Sasai and Dr. Sadu. They all were recognized for the Asian-American Pacific Islander Month. So that was a nice recognition. And then I attended a couple weekends ago uh JFK scholarship foundation which I'm a part of where we gave away $23,000 in scholarships and totaled over since we've been in existence $276,000 we've given to Kennedy graduating students. So felt pretty good about that. Um that brings my speech to an end. Um, we're Everybody's looking at me like what's next?
They understand that they've bought a historic property and they understand the value of keeping that property, the facade, the front-facing facade looking historic because they understand what it does to the vistas in the town and what it looks like. So, I'm really confused. This is the that person's a business owner in town. I'm really confused when I hear all these other business owners saying they don't want to comply and that they think it's too expensive. We've had a lot of other bylaws pass where many of the same property owners have gotten up and complained about the HERS bylaw when it was first put into effect and they said it would be too expensive and then at least one of them turned around and built one of the best developments in Ashlin that's still talked about. So old places matter because of economics. Old places are deeply beneficial to people because of the way they give us a sense of continuity, belonging.
Well, look at the It's advanced planning number 14. Yes, I have a suggested agenda item. Uh, discussion of service hours. U, is is that for an agenda item or do do you want a a Friday report on the wise and wherefors of what we have done in the past and why we're not doing it now or what? I I think that um maybe we could um doesn't have to be agendaized immediately, but I I at some point want to revisit. Um yeah, maybe if we go back through a a Friday update and get a discussion from staff and that might generate something for the agenda then. Gotcha. How's that sound? Gotcha. Okay. All right. Any anybody else? Do you second my motion? Yeah. I I just did. Yeah, it takes two. Okay. Um, that's for advanced planning, future meeting dates. You'll see that there. So, future meeting.
They inspire us with beauty, awe, and sacredness, and because they tell about history and learning, and because they foster healthy, sustainable communities. Numerous studies have been done by the World Bank, Ruckers University, the world in the United States, all over the United States. And they all talk about how these districts improve towns. as if old places are only worth keeping for economic reasons or if they can justify themselves economically. Combined with the many other benefits, the benefits that are hard to measure economically, which are deeply beneficial for people, keeping and retaining old places seems like a no-brainer. I object to the notion that everything in life has to be reduced to an economic equation. But imagine if these studies could capture the full value of the benefits old places give people. the sense of identity and belonging, the awe of beauty, the creativity and imagination.
So, all the years are popping up. So, you know what happens in about two weeks, less than two weeks. And that's graduations are upon us, right? And you know what happens after Janu May 23rd? Everybody's sitting up in the audience saying, "What is he talking about?" It is summer attire. Oh, that's the most important part of the president's job is to announce summer attire. So, after after graduations, we will revert to our summer attire for me. Okay. All right. Mr. Oshi's over here laughing away. All right. Do I have a motion to adjurnn? And happy Mother's Day to all mothers. Oh, yes. Thank you. Yes. Uh, yes. So, move second. Motion and a second. All in favor say I.
The valuation would be, as Randall Mason put it, calculating the incal incalculable or pricing the priceless. Thank you. Thank you, K Marggo. Hi, I'm Margot Ellsworth, 22 High Street Extension here in Ashlin. Been here 50 years. uh came here because we had privacy, because we had space, because we had a great school system, and it truly is a good school system. Um, in the presentation of for this this change, I'm hearing a lot of iffy kind of dialogue. Hopefully, the next committee when it's formed will do this. Hopefully. I don't want hopefully. You need to know when you vote on something like this this uh u ruling, this change, you need to have your absolutes lined up. Now, I have a deed on my property. And probably if you own a house out here in this town, you have a deed. You pay your taxes.
You pay your insurance. you have control of your house or your condo. However, if you want to do a change on your property, you go through many tiers to be able to to bring that change about. Now, you're adding another tier. It may cost you more money. So, now somebody else has control over your house. I don't want to have anybody else have control over my property. I pay the taxes. I pay the insurance. I maintain it. No one should be able to tell you what you can do with your home. So that is my there are enough controls as there are. And when I hear the word hopefully, it makes me nervous because you really don't know what you're voting for in absolutes. Thank you. I am against this measure. Thank you, Beth. Good evening. Thank you, Mr. Moderator. Uh my name is Beth Reynolds.
I am the director of economic development and community outreach for the town um of Ashland. Um, over the past two years, I've closely followed this planning and discussions surrounding this proposed bylaw. I've watched public meetings, listened to community feedback, and sought out perspectives from those who would be directly affected. Let me be clear, I deeply value Ashlin's history and the character that makes our town unique. Preserving our history is important, as seen in our downtown fire station, a great example of honoring the past. However, I do not support the proposed bylaw to create a local historic district. I have concerns about the impact it would have, particularly on our small businesses in the downtown area. This bylaw would create yet another layer of town oversight, another approval process for businesses that are simply trying to operate and make improvements where they can. While the proposed historic commission has suggested that changes to non-historic buildings would likely be approved without issue, there is nothing in the bylaw that guarantees that outcome.
Once properties are included in the district, they are fully subject to these new regulations regardless of current intentions of the commission. I would like to go back to my reference of the old fire station. Clover Road Brewing poured a large amount of money into that bu building after leasing it from the town last summer. The process consisted of several meetings, the planning board, design review, and the historical commission. It took months to get through that process and I fear that if we add another step, it may deter someone from putting the time and money into such an endeavor and just go somewhere else. We already have tools in place to ensure design consistency and thoughtful development. Adding another level of review risks sending the wrong message that Ashland is a diffic difficult place to do business. That perception matters. I've spoken to several business owners who are worried about this bylaw about potential costs, delays, and the loss of autonomy over their own properties.
I believe we can protect Ashlin's historical character without creating additional burdens that discourage investment in progress. I hope we can find a better balance, one that honors our past without putting our future at risk. Thank you, Beth. Ma'am Audrey Coulson, three Shadow Creek Lane. I've lived in Ashland for 10 years now. Before that, I lived in another town. I was actually living in a house in a historic district. Lived there for 50 years. The historic district was created about 30 years in for while we were there. and I have dealt with them in replacing windows, getting a sign for a business, um adding addition on the back of the house and changing the back doorway and extending the porch there. Had to go through the historic district and I had no problems at all there. So they deemed every project that I had, you know, brought forward to them to be appropriate because as I was planning and talking with my contractor or architect, I said, "This is a historic house.
We want to any changes I make have to be appropriate." So, we kept that in mind and the historic district always passed us with flying colors. So, I'm in favor of this. Thank you. Okay. Kennardel, 26 Dear Ridge Road. I'm actually speaking for Adam uh Saxs who couldn't be here tonight. He's at two Esther Lane. Uh Adam wanted to point out that he is representing himself solely. Adam grew up in Worcester where his grandfather started a home window. Can can just to be clear, I do not allow people to speak for other people in in town meeting, but where they are both residents, I'm going to allow it. Okay. Thank you. Uh Adam grew up in Worcester where his grandfather started a home window home improvement business more than 75 years ago. Business moved from Main Street to South Ridge uh right next to Coney Island.
It's a significant move for the company. Unfortunately, when they wanted to renovate the building, which had become historic districted, they were told that they could not put in windows that they wanted and the cost of the put in the windows that did comply was six times the cost of the standard window. Ultimately, they felt it was more appropriate to move the business again, which was another significant undertaking. Ironically, the building they moved from is still vacant today. While he agrees that guidelines can be helpful, we do not want to discourage businesses from making improvements. We should look at offering incentives versus penalties. Thank you. Sir, good to go. uh Joel Arbiteman. I have listened very carefully to the people who are critical of this article and most of them I don't mean to characterize them as a group but it seemed to me and perhaps to you that most of them were realtors, developers, business owners and landlords.
And all of them are in business to make money. That's not an evil to seek profits and to have good commerce here in Ashland. We appreciate that. But let's look and the other key argument that was made was an argument that this is a pile of bureaucracy. We already have way too much and it's costly and timeconuming and it's burdensome. And let's look at 128 Main Street where the church has disappeared. Let's look at the monstrosity that is right on our doorstep at the mill building. Who has the power? The residents in trying to craft the community the way they seek to build it or the developers and the realtors who make money by destroying our heritage, our historic buildings and gutting the character of our downtown. and they have the laws in most cases on their side. This is a chance for us to say enough.
There's no indication that any of the people who spoke on behalf of this article are unreasonable. I may have this wrong, but I thought there was something where the select board whom we elect would appoint at least one or more members or whatever the mechanism is here. And these are not bad people. We're trying to preserve the character of the town. If we don't vote for this tonight, we could lose any building. There's nothing stopping a developer. Let's say the guy, I don't know who he is, and I don't know what his interest is, but let's say the guy who owns the JSON in wants to put up whatever he wants to put up as long as it complies with our current zoning code, but there's no historic district. We need to we need to step up and we need to do it now because we may not get another chance at this before other buildings are taken down and put in jeopardy.
Thank you. Jim, you have the last comment. Thank you everybody. It's been a lively discussion and I'd just like to wrap things up here by just commenting on a few things. Um, first of all, I understand the intent of the district is is to help Ashlin's downtown business district, not make it a and make it a destination to help retain its character as a whole. Now, not everybody's going to like this and things are expensive. Another part of this is there are certificates of hardship that will be issued. So, if you come to the commission and saying you can't afford to do it this way, the commission will work with you. Okay? And when I say hopefully, we can't predict what a future commission will say, but we can't do any of that until we establish the commission. Um, another issue that hasn't been brought up and to to it's it's more ecologically sound to reuse old buildings to start from scratch and put them up uh brand new construction.
I know construction people don't want to hear that, but uh it's more ecologically uh sustainable. um the conse comprehensive plan committee, all the polls that I've seen and all the numerous numerous um questionnaires that have gone out that the town of Ashland favors historical preservation. Now, if it was my business, I mean, I understand the commission wants to work with the businesses. Um but on the other hand, it's for the whole town, not just necessarily the business district itself. We purposely looked at the downtown of which there's only eight buildings out of 25 and there's four monuments and there's park areas that aren't historical. So there's only eight out of 25 that we're talking about that would not be histo be considered historical anyway. Now, the last thing I will say is that, you know, we live in Ashlin right now and it's our time on Earth, but we're not here forever.