ATHOL – The Select Board has voted to establish an account so that the public can make contributions toward the upkeep of the Bidwell Barn on South Athol Road.
The vote at the board’s meeting on Oct. 20 was unanimous to have Town Accountant Amy Craven establish a gift account for the barn. Reached after the meeting, Craven said that once it is set up, the easiest way to donate would be to drop off or mail a check made payable to the Town of Athol, specifying on the notation line that it is for the Bidwell Barn.
“Hopefully we can get some donations to do some upkeep and maintenance,” said board member Marc Maxwell.
In response to a question from board member Mitch Grosky, Maxwell said that while the future of the barn has not yet been decided upon, funds should be raised to prevent further deterioration of the building.
“It is a town property,” said Maxwell. “My opinion is it’s a town structure. Pretty soon it’s going to go from a quaint New England structure to a pile of lumber. There have been several votes on it, and the townspeople do want to keep it.”
Select Board Chair Bill Chiasson voiced his support for the account, though he pointed out that the town has other expenses that need to be taken care of, such as the new roof on the Pleasant Street School.
“The list is pretty long,” he added.
Maxwell said that this account would be helpful if a resident wanted to help with the barn’s upkeep. Town Manager Shaun Suhoski said that similar accounts have been used in the past, such as one set up for the replacement of the flag pole in front of Town Hall 12 years ago and more recently, to buy a drone for the Police Department.
Suhoski explained Craven could set up an account number that can take the donations.
“There should be an entity, however, that has to authorize expenditures,” Suhoski said.
Town Counsel John Barrett concurred with Suhoski’s assessment, adding that authorization of the expenses should be done by the Select Board.
Before voting, the board heard from resident Mary Holtorf, who said that there have been several meetings about the Bidwell property and the overwhelming response from residents was to preserve the building and land for open space.
“It’s pretty important and I think establishing an account would be a good first step,” Holtorf said.
Holtorf added that enacting the Community Preservation Act in Athol would also help in protecting the barn and the surrounding property.
The town took ownership of the barn in 2009, when town meeting voters approved $500,000 to purchase the 100-acre Bidwell property.
At the 2023 fall Town Meeting, voters approved spending $9,400 for a structural assessment of the nearly 170-year-old barn. Subsequently, the firm of Stevens & Associates issued a report stating that the slate roof is in need of significant maintenance. The report went on to state that fixing leaks should be of the highest priority.
According to the structural assessment completed by Stevens & Associates, the barn was constructed around 1858 and is categorized as a gable-front bank barn, also known as a Yankee barn.
“Being an agricultural building, this roof likely received a minimal amount of maintenance and reportedly has not seen any maintenance in at least the last 15 years that the town has owned it,” the report stated. “(A) few roof leaks have caused significant structural damage…”