by Richard Maki
On February 15, the 1835 Town Hall Committee held a public meeting at which Thomas P. Hopkins, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board, presented the work of his board in resolving access issues in older public facilities.
“Massachusetts is a very old place,” Hopkins stated, as he described the history and legal foundation of the board’s authority and provided past examples of accommodations to historic public buildings. According to Hopkins, regardless of the vintage of buildings open to the public, renovations must comply with the building code of the time. He confirmed the access regulation previously cited by 1835 Committee chairman Robert McKay Jones, that renovations exceeding $100,000 and 30 percent of the value of the structure trigger a requirement to bring the entire facility up to the current building code.
In the case of the 1835 Town Hall, plumbing, electrical and access issues providing for public access to the second floor would need to be addressed. While compliance to building codes is paramount, Hopkins stated that, “we work with people over these things.” Specifically, he described situations in which his board approved variances and encouraged “thinking outside the box” to resolve access-related concerns. He indicated that the issue of public access to the second floor could be solved without the construction of an expensive elevator, and that other less costly and more feasible lift devices were acceptable accommodations for the wheelchair-bound. Other variances regarding time limits for compliance would also be considered by the board. Technical feasibility of repairs and excess cost of the accommodation are also factored into the board’s review of variance requests.
“Everything we do is on a case-by-case basis,” said Hopkins. However, he added that it is a “myth” that renovations to historic buildings don’t need to comply with current building codes.
Hopkins described the process to request a variance and answered related questions from members of the 1835 Town Hall Committee, and selectmen Richard Lane and Maureen Cranson.
The 1835 Committee is hoping to gain town support for a series of multi-year renovations to the historic building and has discussed the initial phase of rebuilding the endangered roof with the Finance Committee and the Board of Selectmen. Initial cost estimates to repair and replace elements of the roof are in the neighborhood of $300,000, with smaller investments spread out over several years.
1835 Committee chairman Robert McKay Jones has stated that the 1835 Town Hall Committee strongly supports and is working hard to achieve universal access to the building, and will seek town, donor and grant funding to bring it to fruition in the near future.
“We are hopeful that armed with Mr. Hopkins’s information we will be able to obtain variances in time and code so that we can accomplish this important mission thoughtfully, effectively and permanently all the while maintaining the historical character of the Town Hall,” he said.
Photo by Richard Maki: Thomas P. Hopkins, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board, addressing town offi cials and residents.