• Transportation Planning • Environmental Planning • Cultural Resource Services •
• Public Involvement • Community & Site Planning • GIS/Technical •
In this Issue:
2008: a note from Ruth - READ MORE>>
Celebrating our birthday with friends! - READ MORE>>
Lots of bike/ped projects! - READ MORE>>
Historic Resources in Massachusetts - READ MORE>>
A Tale of Two Towns: Surveying History in Massachusetts
FHI’s historic/cultural team was recently hired by the towns of Southwick and Belchertown to complete town-wide surveys for both communities. These surveys will identify the most significant architectural and archeological resources in each town and record them according to the standards of the Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Office (MA SHPO). The survey forms will include a history of each property, detailed description of each resource, and a detailed map and photograph.
Both towns were settled in the early 1730’s and have rich histories evidenced by hundreds of historic houses and sites. In Southwick, there is also a rich and quickly disappearing history of tobacco farming. Southwick’s more recent history includes, perhaps surprisingly, one of the nation’s largest and most important Motocross tracks. Belchertown, which is the eighth largest town in Massachusetts, has a well-recorded town center, but the outskirts of the town have never been accurately documented.
These projects will provide the Massachusetts Historical Commission with the information needed to administer the historic properties in both towns. These records also allow the MA SHPO to provide tax credits or grants based on historic significance. Under the Massachusetts Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program, a certified rehabilitation project on an income-producing property is eligible to receive up to 20% of the cost of certified rehabilitation expenditures in state tax credits. There is an annual cap, so selection criteria ensure that the funds are distributed to projects that provide the most public benefit. The MHC certifies the projects and allocates available credits.
The Southwick and Belchertown projects add to FHI’s growing historical documentation work in Massachusetts. Prior to these projects, FHI helped document 10 properties in the City of Westfield as part of the Westfield Intermodal Center project and has also been involved with historic documentation in the Town of Framingham for the MBTA as part of the Worcester Commuter Rail study.
Please visit www.fhiplan.com to learn more about Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc.
To unsubscribe to our newsletter, please send an email to hlatimer@fhiplan.com with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.