Restoration Work Completed at Franklin Historical Museum

The dangerously weather-worn cupola atop the town's 1842 Town Hall, used since 2010 as the Franklin Historical Museum, had needed repairs for many years. But arguments about how best to repair it and, more crucially, how to pay for it, delayed the start of the work until this summer.

Thanks to approximately $50,000 approved for the project by the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) and then by the Town Council, the project went out to bid and the low bidder, Winter Hill Construction, got the job. While some of the bids came in at three or four times the price quoted by Winter Hill, the company appeared to have had no problem getting the job done right and on time -- just in time to show off for the town's Harvest Festival on Saturday.

The Community Preservation Committee manages money raised through the town's adoption of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) in 2020. CPA revenue is a combination of local contributions and State matching funds, which vary year to year.

The last substantial rebuild of that part of the Town Hall was in 1916, more than 100 years ago.  The structure  is part of the Dean College National Historic District.