School Street Barn to raise funds, be placed on historic register

Date: 8/12/2009

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



AGAWAM -- Agawam's Director of Planning and Community Development Deborah Dachos said the next step toward the restoration of the School Street barn would be the creation of a revolving account for the project by the City Council.

Donations and funds raised for the restoration would go into the account, rather than the general fund, she explained to Reminder Publications. Dachos said the issue should before the City Council in the next week or two.

Dachos would like to see similar fundraising activities for this project that were used so successfully for the new senior center.

The barn is located on the 50-acre School Street Park and Dachos said the structure is a unique double-ramped New England style barn. Usually, she said, a ramped barn was built with one side into a hill, but this one has ramps on both ends of the building.

Although initially believed to have been built in the 19th century, Dachos said a story by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission indicated the barn was built sometime between 1900 and 1920.

Dachos explained that once the account is in place, fundraising efforts could begin. The first two steps would be to place the barn in the National Register of Historic Places, which would cost about $1,500. The next step would be to hire a historic preservation specialist who could prepare a Request for Proposals for the rehabilitation work.

Dachos envisions the barn being used for various functions including a farmers' market and craft shows.