WESTFIELD – The owners of two historic buildings made an informal presentation to the Community Preservation Committee last week for funds needed during the public participation segment of the meeting.
Judy Lyon of the First Congregational Church Property Committee said the church is looking for funds to bring a building into compliance with requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
The building, which was built as a school and later used as the city hall, requires accessibility to bring the building into state and federal building and ADA codes.
The structure had been occupied by a long-term tenant, the Carson Center, which recently relocated.
“The building needs to be brought up to code before we find another tenant,” Lyon said. “We hired an architect to access handicap accessibility to the first floor and a contractor has given us a ball park number of about $150,000 for the cost of construction.”
Lyon said the lift would be similar to that installed at the nearby Tavern Restaurant and to two lifts installed recently in the current City Hall.
“The church has saved some money for this project, but we can’t afford the entire project cost,” Lyon said. “We’d like to explore options for when the next tenant is identified and the specific needs of that tenant.”
Cindy Gaylord, representing the Historical Commission on the CPC, said “it is an amazing building. It was the old city hall and it is on the city’s historic register. It could draw a large tenant if it has handicapped accessibility.”
Peter Fiordalice, who represents the Planning Board on the CPC, asked specify questions about the location of the handicap lift and how it would be enclosed or incorporated into the building structure.
Lyon said the church has not released a request for bids because it does not have the funding to act on a bid and that part of how the lift would be incorporated would be included in the individual bids for the project.
Tom Sharp, representing the Conservation Commission, said he would like an opinion from the Law Department because of a possible church-state conflict.
“Can use even use taxpayer money to benefit a religious group,” Sharp asked, “or do we run the risk of a church/state separation issue?”
CPC Chairman Joe Muto said that committee is more focused “on the historical character of that building. It’s the building to which we’d be making an improvement, that we could put preservation restriction onto the building.”
Muto did agree to request a legal opinion to resolve the issue raised by Sharp.
Muto also asked Lyon to present more detailed financial information at the formal presentation in December.
“We need a quote and a cost estimate breakdown,” Muto said.
Donna Shibley of the Pilgrim Candle also gave an informal presentation to the CPC members, requesting seed money to retain an architect who would prepare documents to bid the contract and to make a formal application for CPC funding.
Shibley said the two-level front porch is in dire need of structural support and the roof needs to be repaired.
Muto suggested that Shibley make application for the architect before the CPC’s next meeting and identify the repair of the front porch structural support as the top priority.
