Windham’s Treasure
By Louise and Tom
Johnson
The Windham Meeting House – a beautiful, historic building
dating from 1802 – is jointly owned by the Town of Windham and the UCC Church.
For various reasons, the Church members have decided that they can no longer
support their share of ownership. They
have agreed to turn over their portion to the Town for a nominal amount. A
Transition Committee of volunteers has been formed by the Select Board to
determine the feasibility of sole ownership and the legal aspects of transfer.
According to the Town attorney, there are no legal obstacles to the Town
acquiring the part of the building that it doesn’t already own. The consensus
of the Committee is that the Town should proceed with acquisition. The Meeting
House is a center for many Town activities and a part of the heritage of the
Town that should remain in public ownership.
Once full ownership is acquired, the Town would be
responsible for the full cost of upkeep and operation. How will this affect
taxpayers? Using round numbers, the annual operating expenses are about
$16,000, of which the Town already pays about $10,000. If the remaining $6,000
were to come from taxes, this would result in an increase of $0.05 per thousand
dollars valuation. For example, a property valued at $200,000 would see a tax
increase of $10. Maintenance of the structure of the building would continue to
be supported by The Friends of the Meeting House, which is reorganizing to
raise funds for that purpose. (See related article elsewhere.)
After acquisition, a committee would be formed to handle
ongoing operations and to promote the use of the building to generate income.
Ideas for a fee structure and possible uses are being discussed. There appear
to be many possible uses and it seems likely that enough revenue could be
generated to completely offset the additional $6,000 expense to the Town.
Comments, ideas and suggestions are welcome. Please respond in
writing at the Town Office or on the Town web site, www.townofwindhamvt.com.