The Town of Webster is currently in the process of preparing a Community-wide Preservation Plan under the leadership of the Webster Historical Commission. The Preservation Plan is funded in part through a grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission.
Goals of the Historic Preservation Plan are:
- Recognition of the role that historic building and landscape resources play in Webster’s identity, character, and quality of life,
- Highlighting how Webster’s historic resources can contribute to the Town’s economic vitality, and
- Identification of ways in which Webster’s historic character can be strengthened and enhanced through cooperative action.
Work on the Preservation Plan began in January 2024 and will be completed in September 2024. Over the past few months, background information has been collected on historic resources and various preservation planning issues and topics in Webster. Currently, the Historical Commission and the Town’s planning consultant, Heritage Strategies LLC, are reaching out to local stakeholders for input on historic preservation issues and interests. Stakeholders include residents; Town boards, commissions, and committees; local non-profit organizations; and Town staff.
Draft recommendations for the plan will be prepared in July, and a draft plan will be completed by the end of August. The draft plan will be posted online at the Historical Commission webpage. A second public forum will be conducted to receive additional public input. A public comment form will be available on the Historical Commission webpage.
We would like to invite the pubic to join us at joint meeting between the Webster Historical Commission, Board of Selectmen, the Planning Board and Conservation Commission, along with representatives of other committees and commissions, public employees, etc., on June 25th at 6:00pm in the Selectmen Meeting Room at Webster Town Hall. This meeting will be broadcast live and the recording will be available on the Town’s YouTube Channel which you can access via the Town’s website: www.webster-ma.gov.
We look forward to hearing how residents and stakeholders view the role of Webster’s historic resources in community life. We want to encourage their recognition, preservation, and enhancement. We seek to place historic character and historic resources at the center of Webster’s economic development strategies.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Ted Avlas, Chair
Webster Historical Commission