At the end of September, the CPC and the Historical Commission held a joint meeting to hear a presentation about the restoration of the Tarkiln Community Center from architect Lynne Spencer of Menders, Torrey and Spencer, Inc., of Boston. The plan, designed to meet the input provided by the Board of Selectmen, residents and users of the facility, would restore the building's historical character as a former one-room school house and preserve its use as the only community center on the west side of town.

Spencer estimated construction costs as well as engineering and architectural costs would total $660,000. She said the outdoor site work including the driveway, site lighting and new septic system would cost $355,000. Historical Commission Chairwoman Barbara Kiley said the Board of Selectmen had said the town might be able to do the site work itself, cutting down on the total costs. CPC member George Wadsworth asked Spencer to figure out how much money it would cost to have plans and specifications developed. Spencer said she would get back in touch with the board with that information in enough time to allow for an article for plans and specs to be brought before Special Town Meeting on Nov. 13.

However, CPC Chairwoman Holly Morris said she decided to pull the plans and specs article from the upcoming town meeting.

"I felt it was premature to move on it," Morris said on Thursday morning to the CPC.

She added that no firm number for the plans and specs had been received yet and that that information needed to be reviewed by the Fiscal Advisory Committee and the Finance Committee.

The Historical Commission's representative to the CPC, Nancy Bennett, said she was surprised no one from the commission decided to attend the CPC's meeting on Thursday morning. Speaking by phone, Kiley said the move to postpone the Special Town Meeting article was not anticipated.

"I'm very surprised," she said. "The Historical Commission is working hard on getting it forward. It's the last one-room school house in the town's possession. It has a unique post and beam style and it serves as a community center. I think more users will be interested in the buildings once they are fixed."

Kiley said the focus now is to go before voters at Annual Town Meeting in March with an article including the amount of money plans and specs for the restoration of Tarkiln will cost.

Bennett informed the CPC of the Historical Commission's desire to have an article in for Annual Town Meeting. Morris said a business plan for the facility should be completed. Bennett said at a meeting of the Board of Selectmen, selectmen said it was not up to the Historical Commission to develop a business plan and that the board had suggested Finance Director John Madden could create one.

"It's a sizeable project and I think it's important to also see how the Wright Building plays out," Morris said.

CPC member Pat Loring asked Bennett if any grants were being explored to pay for the restoration or if the commission hoped to fund the entire project through Community Preservation Act funds. Bennett said the commission had contacted the Massachusetts Historical Commission to see if Tarkiln could earn National Register status. She said Kiley was exploring funding through grants as well.

"It's a $1 million project," Wadsworth said. "The Historical Commission needs to have its act together to tell town meeting why they should care [about Tarkiln]. There will be bulldozer advocates at town meeting. There are three options here: rehab the building, tear it down or let it fall down. It needs to be embraced and that love has to come forward at town meeting. Emphasize the historic part�the unique framing and that it is a one-room school house."

CPC member Tony Kelso disagreed with Wadsworth saying historical restoration would only appeal to a certain number of people and that Tarkiln needed to be introduced for its other attributes.

"History doesn't sell and what sells to people concerned with a $1 million price tag is that it's a useable building that can come into the 21st century. We have to sell it as a community center that is being updated�a historic building being brought up to modern standards. It's the only building in the west side of town for community use. It sits in the middle of ball fields and tennis courts. If it's gone that side of town won't regain that," Kelso said.

The structure located, on Summer Street, dates back to 1871 when the south meeting room was used as a one-room schoolhouse. In 1908, the north meeting room was built and in 1926 a connector was built linking the two buildings.