Windows Removed From Potential Historic Building, Resident Requests Stop Work Order
While questions as to whether the small building located at 6 MacArthur Boulevard, the site of the soon-to-be Cumberland Farms, is actually a historic building or not have gone unanswered, work in the area has progressed, resulting in the apparent removal of windows from the structure.
Bourne resident Jack MacDonald, a history buff and preservationist, said he noticed that the windows had been removed while out for a drive on Wednesday morning. In an email to the Enterprise, Mr. MacDonald alleged that the windows had been removed without a permit or approval from the Bourne Historic Commission. A call to commission chairman Carl Georgeson confirmed that a demolition permit for the structure has not yet been reviewed or issued.
Yesterday, Mr. MacDonald sent an email that was shared with the Enterprise to the town administrator, planning department, building department, select board, and historic commission, reporting the unauthorized work. In the email, Mr. MacDonald says he was told by an unnamed planning department associate that the work was an asbestos treatment. It is currently unclear if that is exactly what was going on at the site. Mr. MacDonald used the email to formally request that a stop work order be placed on the building immediately.
Mr. MacDonald has been zealous in his efforts to preserve the building over the past year, hoping to save it prior to the Cumberland Farms’ breaking ground. He claims it dates back to the early 1900s, when it may have served as a rail yard ticket booth and later as a visitors information center for the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. He had previously requested that the historic commission investigate the matter for possible preservation of the structure, however, it has yet to undergo the demolition delay review process.