NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Historical Commission is hoping to get some of the leftover funds appropriated last year for capital projects to put toward some much-needed historical preservation.

 

A priority is the 104-year-old Mount Williams gatehouse, the tower at the reservoir on Pattison Road. 

 

"We don't want anything happening to that," said commission Chairwoman Justyna Carlson at Thursday's meeting. "It's one of the old ones that should be preserved and according to [historical consultant Bonnie Parsons'] assessment, there were many more in the commonwealth but very few are left. ...

 

"This would be a good time to suggest that something be done with that."

 

The City Council last year authorized nearly $800,000 for capital projects, of which $176,600 was to be used for engineering studies at the Mount Williams and Notch Reservoir dams. The state, however, has provided the funding for those studies and the council appropriated $90,000 of those funds toward finishing exterior work at the Armory. 

 

That leaves $86,600 that could be appropriated toward other projects. 

 

The tower gatehouse and its distinctive red tile roof have seen better days. Resident Mary LaCasse has become particularly concerned over the deterioration she's seen over time. The roof has numerous holes and the tiles have fallen and broken.

 

"It's just so charming and amazing and I can see it going downhill," she told the commission. "It's going to get too late or very, very expensive ... it really has been upsetting to me."

 

The commission discussed the possibility of developing a "friends" group similar to the library and what Commissioner Wendy Champney had done for Fort Massachusetts to raise money for repairs but agreed that the gatehouse alone wouldn't be a good focus.

 

"There are other things that need preserving so not just a 'Friends of the Gatehouse," Carlson said. But Champney also thought it was important to do something for the gatehouse, motioning to create an action plan.

 

"I think we need a commitment and a direction today," she said. "It's one thing to talk about it and then walk away. It's 104 years old. It's our history and it's a roof ... it's going to cost money, but it's a roof."

 

Director of Special Project Michael Nuvallie suggested the commission make a recommendation to the corner office to have the building inspector provide a preliminary assessment. The commission voted to amend Champney's motion to develop an action plan and make a recommendation to Mayor Thomas Bernard.

 

Bernard, later that day, said the funds in question had not been targeted to anything else so far but any use would require an appropriation from City Council. 

 

Commissioner Alan Horbal thought the motion would be setting a precedent, noting there were other preservation needs like the Johnson Grays plaque at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. 

 

The commission also spent some time speaking with Wigwam owner and manager Wayne Gelinas, who was seeking permission to raze two of the cabins six cabins on the property. Commissioners were concerned because Parsons had gotten the application together to list the Wigwam on the National Register of Historic Places. Gelinas recently purchased the largely dormant property and has been making improvements.

 

"We were kind of hoping this would go through first so we didn't have to take any more pictures ... of what was removed and renovated," said Carlson. "They look lovely renovated but they just don't look the same."

 

Gelinas is in the process of renovating the cabins, house and gift shop. The four good cabins have been repainted brown, rather than the yellow they've been for years, but there's been an effort to maintain their look.

 

Those four only needed small repairs and cosmetics, he said. "But two of them have had such bad leaks over the years they're all rotted, moldy and full of mice ... our plan is to start operations in October and to have guests walking by them, they smell they're just full of mold."  

 

It wouldn't be possible, Gelinas said, not to raze them until after the application was submitted. There are also plans to rebuild entirely different, more modern cabins to replace them. 

 

"We want to be successful but we have to be a little different," Gelinas said. "We're the 11th owner of the Wigwam since 1914, some were successful and some weren't."

 

Getting on the National Register would be helpful to the motel in terms of marketing and possible historic tax credits. The Historical Society is also hoping the listing will aid in having international travel company Tauck hold an upcoming anniversary in North Adams. Founder Arthur Tauck was inspired to start his bus tour company when he stopped at the Wigwam in 1924. 

 

The commission approved the two cabin demolitions as well demolitions at 212 Eagle, 174 Liberty, 180 River streets.