Sale of Meeting House closes off public access

I would like to share some final thoughts on the sale of the Mennonite Meeting House. One of the functions of a town government is to preserve its history to the best of its ability. This offers knowledge for residents and attracts tourists. And so, it serves a town well to have a cluster of historic buildings, along with public access. The Mennonite Meeting House is one of the few structures remaining from the early days of this town where public access is

I believe the town should have retained ownership and leased it to People Inc. It's my understanding that if the Town of Amherst had maintained this building properly, People Inc. would have been satisfied with a lease agreement. Now that the building is sold, if People Inc. were to someday sell it and the town was unable to purchase it, according to the State Agency for Historic Preservation, the Meeting House could be used for an office, and public access would cease.

Some Town Board members reasoned that the Meeting House should be sold because it's too costly to repair. But why wasn't some of the lease money obtained from People Inc. diverted over to paying a grant writer to obtain grant money for the repairs? This structure is an official historic site and qualifies for any funding needed. If the town had continued to lease the Meeting House, the only obligation of taxpayers would have been $12,000 per year for heating, lighting, cleaning and landscaping, costing each of us approximately 25 cents a year. But lease money would have also covered maintenance.

I live around the corner from the Meeting House and know what an interesting, well-crafted old building it is, both inside and out. Leasing it would have ensured public access was always possible.
Judy Catalano
Amherst