Photo shows the historic James House in Hampton, prior to a recent refurbishing.
Shall the Town of Hampton vote to establish, in accordance with RSA 673:1, II and 674:44-a, a Heritage Commission as proposed by the Planning Board. As provided in RSA 67 4:44-b:
I. The Heritage Commission shall have advisory and review authority, specifically, as follows:
a) Survey and inventory all cultural resources.
b) Conduct research and publish findings, including reports to establish the legal basis for a district and preparation of historic district ordinances within the municipality prior to its adoption or amendment as provided in RSA 675:6.
c) Assist the Planning Board, as requested, in the development and review of those sections of the Master Plan, which address cultural and historic resources.
d) Advise, upon request, local agencies, and other local boards in their review of requests on matters affecting or potentially affecting cultural and historic resources.
e) Coordinate activities with appropriate service organizations and nonprofit groups.
f) Publicize its activities.
g) Hire consultants and contractors as needed.
h) Receive gifts of money and property, both real and personal, in the name of the Town, subject to the approval of the Board of Selectmen, such gifts to be managed and controlled by the Commission for its proper purposes.
i) Hold meetings and hearings necessary to carry out its duties.
II. Property. The Commission may acquire, in the name of the Town, subject to the approval of the Board of Selectmen, by gift, purchase, grant, bequest, devise, lease, or otherwise, a fee or lesser interest, development rights, covenant, or other contractual right, including conveyances with conditions, limitations, or reversions, as may be necessary to acquire, maintain, improve, protect, limit the future use of, or otherwise conserve and properly use the cultural resources of the Town, and shall manage and control the same; provided , however, that the Town or Commission shall not have the right to condemn property for these purposes.
As provided in RSA 673:4-a:
I. The Heritage Commission shall consist of 5 regular members and not more than 5 alternate members, all to be appointed by the Board of Selectmen, provided that:
a) All regular members and alternate members of the Heritage Commission shall be residents of the Town.
b) One regular member and one alternate member of the Heritage Commission shall each be members of the Board of Selectmen.
c) One regular member and one alternate member of the Heritage Commission shall each be members of the Planning Board.
The Heritage Commission shall elect a Chairman and Vice Chairman from among its regular members, and subsequently establish Rules of Procedure. The Chairman (or Vice Chairman in the absence of the Chairman) shall designate an alternate member to sit for a regular member in accordance with the membership requirements identified above.
Note: This Article follows the prior abolishment of the Town’s Heritage Commission (Article 35 from the 2015 Annual Town Meeting), and is the result of renewed interest in efforts to encourage the preservation of buildings and places of historic, architectural and community value within the Town of Hampton? (Majority vote required)
What it means: This would re-establish a Commission to assist the Planning Board in helping to document historical buildings, help preserve older structures where possible and give guidance to the Master Plan related to our historical resources. The Commission would have elected members and would meet as necessary to carry out their duties.
Those in favor say: We need all the help we can get to hold on to our local heritage. This is especially true of losing older structures to development efforts in Town. The reason this is being put before the voters such a short time after the abolition of the previous Heritage Commission is that the Town and particularly the Planning Board has missed the guidance that a dedicated group of people focused on our local heritage can bring to the decisions being made about what is allowed, and about how things are done.
Those against say: The previous Heritage Commission was basically non-functional. Anything that the Heritage Commission can do, the Hampton Historical Society can do better. ITKH note: A subsequent communication with directors of the Hampton Historical Society indicated that they do not have the statutory authority that a Heritage Commission has, and that it is not in their Mission Statement to serve as a Town Commission. They do not have the manpower to attend Town meetings or to be “on call” for documentation purposes. They are not interested in taking on the degree of responsibility envisioned in Article 45. Thus, if you are in favor of having this resource in Town vote “yes” and if not, vote “no”, but the Hampton Historical Society, as a private museum, is not an option to accomplish these tasks.
Fiscal impact: No tax impact.