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| Title: | Meower Power is Valuing Differences |
| Notice: | FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY |
| Moderator: | MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO |
|
| Created: | Sun Feb 09 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Tue Jan 11 1994 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 5089 |
| Total number of notes: | 60366 |
1365.0. "macomber farm vote tonight in framingham" by SSMP20::DALEY () Thu May 12 1988 16:47
At the Framingham Town Meeting tonight will come up the
article to allow the Selectment to enter into negotiations
to purchase the Macomber Farm property from the MSPCA.
Hopefully, they will get the green-light to enter negotiations
and then can agree on a price (that piece coming later in the year).
The land is prime - and has at least three model barns complete
with skylights. Also there is a main house in which Mr. Macomber
lived and a two-story caretakers home. If the Town purchases
the property, there are several suggestions as to what to do
with the structures - move the Danforth Art Museum into the main
house, and put the caretaker into the cape; give one barn to the
Framingham HUmane Society, move the Dog pound into another barn,
and keep the third barn for either education or isolation.
That is the ideal! However, the town's Public Works Dept. also
claims it needs someplace to garage its trucks and would like
to use a barn for that (what a waste as far as I am concerned!).
Also the Town has just voted alot of extra $$'s for projects
not in its budget and may not want to consider this property
because of expenses. Rep. Barbara Gray will be there to talk for
it's purchase.
If the Town doesn't purchase it, then it will either be sold to
a developer for homes, or to Framingham State College for
dorms (? - I think it is for dorms but not sure if it will
include buildings for classrooms).
The Fram. Dog Officer said she envisions a 4-town (or more)
combined animal enclosure in which the Towns of Wellesley, Natick,
Framingham and somewhere else could keep their dogs adequately housed.
Right now, all those towns are outgrowing their enclosures and this would
be a good, airy, clean place to go.
For those who are not familiar with Macomber Farm, it is an estate
of a deceased bachelor used to have horse shows and dog shows
on his property during his lifetime. (Unfortunately I do not
know how many acres it includes.) He willed the property to the
MSPCA to be used for educational purposes and the MSPCA proceeded
to build a "Model Farm". Admission was originally free, but the
farm was not self-sustaining, so an admissions free was charged
but the fee became so high that ordinary people couldn't
afford to take their children there. Eventually the farm was abandoned.
All those great barms are just sitting there.
So their fate and the fate of the land could be decided in part
tonight.
Tonight should be very interesting.
| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1365.1 | | VAXWRK::DUDLEY | | Thu May 12 1988 17:05 | 8 |
| Hi Pat,
GOOD LUCK tonight. It seems to me that the intentions of Mr.
Macomber would be met by letting this farm go to the Humane
Society. The other options only desecrate his memory and his
clearly expressed desires for the legacy of his land.
Donna
|
| 1365.2 | | SPGOPS::MCNAMARA | | Mon May 16 1988 12:36 | 1 |
| What happened? I've been out of town -
|
| 1365.3 | | SSMP20::DALEY | | Mon Jun 06 1988 12:23 | 20 |
| What happened at the meeting was that the Town Meeting members
gave the Selectmen the okay to enter price negotiations with the
MSPCA. This is not blanket approval for purchase of the land at
any price which would h ave been financially irresponsible as
Framingham is looking at a possible override of Prop. 2-1/2
due to other financial obligations.
The Selectmen, along with a Task Force, and with the help
of a local State Rep., will come back to the town meeting in the
fall with the results and with a recommendations.
If the negotiations are successful, then quite possibly the Humane
Society will be given one of the beautiful barns. What the FAHS
is doing in the meantime, is going before a Special Town Meeting
on June 15th to request a parcel of land be "donated" to the Society
on which it can build a shelter. If the Macomber deal works out,
then the FAHS can return the piece of land to the town.
I'll enter the results of the June 15th meeting.
|
| 1365.4 | | GEMVAX::ROY | | Tue Jun 07 1988 15:49 | 8 |
| Who currently owns the Macomber farms property? Is there any way
to legally hold off developers until the town has a chance to vie
for the place? God, I wish I could afford to buy it myself and
govern it as a visiting/educational shelter. Prayers, folks,
prayers...
Maureen
|
| 1365.5 | I think ... | VAXWRK::DUDLEY | | Tue Jun 07 1988 16:01 | 4 |
| The MSPCA owns it, but apparently can't afford to keep/maintain
it.
Donna
|
| 1365.6 | | SSMP20::DALEY | | Wed Jun 08 1988 13:08 | 23 |
| Right - the MSPCA does own it and claim that they cannot afford
to keep it. But they were running it as a "modern" New England
farm - but it was costly. So they started charging a minimal fee
which was okay. Then the Minimal fee went up and people could no longer
afford to bring their families there due to the cost. It was a
"Catch 22".
I always thought it could have been more successful if used for
other purposes. There are only 7 MSPCA small animal shelters in
the state - this could have been a beautiful regional site. I
understand that some of the existing shelters are in need of repair.
The MSPCA has a horse retirement farm in Methuen (or a town near there)
but Macomber could have served additional horses - either for
retirement or as a home for abused horses, - or for other creatures.
Also, there are so many areas of animal education it seems that
the MSPCA missed opportunities by limiting itself to farm education
(focussing on New England farms).
Hopefully, Framingham will be able to pick up the property and
utilize at least a piece of it for unfortunate creatures.
|