Still on the back burner is the fate of a historically significant structure, the Russell School building, which was originally built in 1894 as Hopkins Academy.
The town did not have enough money to build it, so the Hopkins Trust contributed funds to make up the difference. At that time, Hopkins Academy was already more than 200 years old!
In fact, Hopkins Trust is the oldest charitable fund to be in continuous use in the United States! Most recently, the majority of the town’s Municipal Buildings Committee, (myself not included), decided not to go forward with a warrant article for Town Meeting, which would have asked for Community Preservation Act money to stabilize this currently unoccupied building, extending the time in which this structure suffers the consequence of deferred maintenance.
This decision prevents residents from voting to use funds already available to stabilize this historic building as soon as possible. It also excludes the town from being eligible to receive the matching grant money available now, specifically for the preservation of historic municipal buildings. Other than CPA, Hadley has no other way to fund such projects.
So once again, the can is kicked farther down the road. Now, will it cost more than we just paid for three new building to bring this one up to code, for just about any use. Yes. Much more. But my question is this. If the residents in town will vote to raise their taxes for the next 20 years, appropriating around $17 million in order to fund three new buildings, (making history), would they be willing to vote and appropriate $1.5 million or so, in funds they already paid in taxes, in order to stabilize this historic structure, so that a future generation, maybe 20 years from now, can do with it what this generation clearly can’t?
I hope the answer is yes. But if the question isn’t on the warrant, we don’t have an option. This historic landmark, on earth and in time, is salvageable now, but not for much longer.
Dan Regish
Hadley