Dear City Council,
I’m writing to you once again concerning the proposed moving
of the Sherman Wells House to the green space at 247 North Water Street. This proposed move has hit a roadblock as the
planning commission voted to not approve the site plan discussed at their last
meeting, and it is my opinion that this delay- together with Kent State’s
allowance of land on College Street for temporary location of the house- gives
the entire community time to slow down and think about the best use and
placement for this historic home. As the
preservation of this house is to be a public good for the benefit of the
community according to Kent Wells Sherman House, Incorporated and the
contingent university funding, it seems only right that the community should
have input in this matter. I appreciate
the planning commission’s decision to listen to the community desires and the
need for something better than a “marriage of convenience” that putting the
house on 247 North Water Street
appears to be.
The city council has shown their support for historic
preservation through the granting of a $15,000 unsecured loan of which even council
members questioned the fiscal responsibility.
Because of this, I propose that the city would do best to make sure that
their investment is on as solid a financial footing as possible. My concern is that this that this investment
is not lost to hurried planning and poor community support. The city could do this by allowing city land
to be used for the permanent location of the house in a suitable location where
the house does not face vocal opposition. Currently, the city owns 28 appropriately
sized lots within a mile of the Sherman Wells house’s present location; the
usage of one of these lots would allow Kent Wells Sherman House, Incorporated
to save the $21,000 cost of buying land (money which they could then use to
offset the increased cost of moving the house). Some of these sites are on North Water Street, as well, so the
economic renewal of North Water
Street could still be a benefit seen from the
situation of the house in that neighborhood. This commitment to historic preservation from
city council could be in the form of an inexpensive lease to Kent Wells Sherman
House, Incorporated, similar to what is granted to Haymaker Farmers’ Market for
their space.
Historic preservation, green space, and the arts are all
concerns in developing and redeveloping cities, such as Kent right at
this moment. The investment in downtown
Kent has the potential to be extremely beneficial to the entire region, but
this process has also seen many losses in historic buildings, and little easily
accessible green space other than right along the river, which can be difficult
and/or treacherous to use for children and people with limited mobility- the
groups that can benefit most from green space.
In the recent past, the arts have found good commercial support in the
redevelopment of Kent, but classes, workshops, and non-commercial arts have not
been major focus of this energy. At the
same time, these three aspects (historic preservation, green space, and the
arts) are considerable draws for a community and add value to a city that is
seen in economic and non-economic ways. Finding
an alternative location for this house and showing simultaneous support for all
three portions (historic preservation, green space, and the arts) would be a
great win-win solution for the entire city, and council assisting in this
endeavor would show council’s willingness to put the good of the city over
disputes that put any one of these issues as more important than the other.
Sincerely,
Lisa Regula Meyer
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