Above: A vote that may impact the Burnett estate’s fate is scheduled for the next Board of Selectmen meeting. (Photo of the summer house in winter contributed by Allan Bezanson)
On Tuesday night, the Board of Selectmen will vote on whether or not to approve a “Preservation Restriction” for 84 Main Street. The address is site of the historic Burnett estate.
The agenda for the February 2nd meeting was posted this morning. The schedule lists approval of the restriction towards the end of the agenda.
The published packet provides no details on the restriction. But the first and last items on the evening’s agenda are closed Executive Sessions “to consider the purchase of real property”.
Presumably, one of the items to be covered will be the Burnett Estate. I was able to get confirmation from Town Administrator Mark Purple that the Town has been in ongoing negotiations for a preservation restriction.*
The closed session is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm and the public open meeting expected to start at 6:30 pm.
Prior to the agenda, the most recent news on the historic estate was a public statement by property owner Jon Delli Priscoli. He warned that preservation was in peril if an agreement was reached immediately.
In Fall 2014, the BOS and Priscoli shared the outline of an agreement in principal for preservation. It would have required ratification by Town Meeting voters. But by last February, the deal fell apart.
The agenda also surprised me by what it didn’t include:
Flagg Road Safety discussion – At the last Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, Chair Leo Bartolini told the public he would be on the agenda to discuss issues on Flagg Road. In Park Central 40B hearings, residents have voiced concerns about safety issues on the street. Bartolini said the road is under selectmen’s jurisdiction. He planned to make three requests for improvements on the road.
[Note: At the most recent Planning Board meeting, Chair Don Morris claimed that some of the items (tree removal and moving stone walls) actually come under his board’s domain. He planned to attend that meeting to ensure that was recognized.]
Town Warrant and Transfer Station bylaw Article – On January 5th, selectmen debated whether or not to include a Transfer Station bylaw Article in the Warrant for Annual Town Meeting. In the end, they opted to include it and close the Warrant. But they wanted to bringing in the article’s sponsors, the Green Technology & Recycling Committee, to explain it. The plan was for that to take place in their January 19th meeting. At that time, they would consider re-opening the Warrant for Town Meeting. The January 19th meeting was cancelled.
*Updated (2/1/16 11:05 am): This morning I got confirmation that the Town has been in ongoing negotiations on a preservation restriction for the property. “Should there be an agreement in principle reached, the Board would vote to approve said restriction in public session”.
