Share This Article
On Tuesday, April 16, the Sudbury Historical Commission discussed their warrant article which would authorize the Town to acquire the Section Tool House and the South Sudbury Train Station buildings from the MBTA. Both buildings are of significant preservation interest to the commission, and discussions to date have indicated the cost of the acquisitions could be nominal. The article doesn’t specify a cost or the terms, as conversations are ongoing. However, the Select Board would be given final say over the terms and conditions of a deal.
Historical Commission Chair, Chris Hagger, informed the commission that Town Counsel had a conversation with the MBTA this week, and did not anticipate any major complications. He did note that the process will take some time. (1:40:40)
The report on Article 17 is on page 30 of the warrant here. Regarding the Section Tool House it notes:
“The first structure is the Central Massachusetts Railroad Section House (Section House) located along the former Central Massachusetts Railway in South Sudbury alongside Route 20. The Section House was built in 1890 to house a track inspection car and track repair tools.”
Annual Town Meeting Warrant
As for the South Sudbury Train Station, the report states:
“The South Sudbury Station is located at the intersection of Union Avenue and Station Road, on the south side of the tracks. The Station Building is also located within the National-Register-determined-eligible Central Massachusetts Railroad Corridor Historic District. It is alongside the Central Massachusetts Rail Trail presently under construction and is also in proximity to the intersection of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail under construction and the Central Massachusetts Rail Trail under construction.”
Annual Town Meeting Warrant
In addition to the preservation interests in these historic assets, the Historical Commission briefly mentioned correspondence from a local business, Sudbury Bees, voicing interest in a potential future use of the buildings. The owners of Duck Soup have also voiced interest in a prior meeting. Commissioners noted it was premature to talk about future uses, but were pleased to hear there was support and interest from local businesses.
Article 17 heads to Annual Town Meeting with the support of the Select Board and the Finance Committee.