Community Preservation Funds Could Be Used to Restore Three Historic Easton Buildings

Three historic Easton buildings are looking to get a face lift with the use of Community Preservation money this year.

Articles 24, 25, and 26 of the Annual Town Meeting Warrant call for the use of Community Preservation money to fund rehabilitation projects for the , and

Community preservation funds are a product of the Community Preservation Act: a 3 percent property tax surcharge adopted by the Town of Easton to help fund affordable housing, open space initiatives and historical preservation.

Article 24 calls for $70,000 towards the rehabilitation of the roof over the Ames Free Library children's wing.Library directors are aiming to repair the other two thirds with grant money from the Massachusetts Historic Commission and it's own endowments.

The needed improvements to the roof are largely structural, according to the Town Meeting warrant. Funding would go towards masonry repairs, installing new clay tiles, gutters, downspouts, and other waterproofing measures.

Article 25 calls for $38,587 for the Easton Children's Museum.

Much like the library, the historic building, formerly an Easton Fire Station, is in need of structural repairs. The money, if approved by the town, would include masonry repairs to the historic chimney, repairing the wood siding on the base of the tower, replacing the gutters and restoring the original fire station doors, according to the Town Meeting Warrant.

The Town of Easton Offices on Elm Street is the subject of Article 26, which asks for $120,900.

According to the Town Meeting Warrant, the money would fund masonry repairs on all of the historic chimneys and the historic wall on the eastern portion of the building.

For a full look at this year's Town Meeting Warrant, click on the attached .pdf. This year's Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for May 21 at 7 p.m.