Historical Commission Supports CPA Funds for Goodwin Church Repairs

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Historical Commission, January 20, 2026

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Robin Fordham (Chair), Pat Auth, George Baitinger, Joel Greenbaum, Mackenzie Landsittel, and Hetty Startup.

Staff: Walker Powell (Planner)

Goodwin Church Repairs Deemed Priority for CPA Funds
Robin Fordham, the Community Preservation Act (CPA) committee representative from the Amherst Historical Commission (AHC), said that the town had been unable to contact representatives from the Goodwin Memorial AME Zion Church regarding their request for CPA funds to repair water leaking in from the roof and around the foundation. The AHC supported the proposed project, but found the application incomplete.

Fordham said that the CPA committee will be reaching its determination on which projects it would recommend for funding at its January 22 meeting or possibly on February 5, but would most likely reserve the $48,000 requested by the church until the cause of leaking and proposed work needed were specified. The church is on the National Historic Register and is one of two historical Black churches in Amherst. Fordham noted that it is a historical resource that is at risk and that, in addition to CPA funds, it may be eligible for stabilization funds from the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC).

AHC member Hetty Startup said that she will attempt to contact members of the congregation about the application. The CPA committee will probably defer review of the proposal until the questions can be cleared up.

Questions were raised at the January 15 CPAC meeting regarding the town’s request for $1 million to replace part of the red slate roof on Town Hall, which received a lukewarm score of 3.8 out of a possible 5, despite being strongly recommended by the AHC. AHC member Joel Greenbaum expressed concern that the AHC recommendations are not receiving sufficient consideration.

In a public comment, Hilda Greenbaum expressed dismay that CPAC member Jason Cox suggested that the Town Hall roof be replaced with asphalt shingles. Fordham said she could not find the record of a historic preservation restriction on the building, but because FY 2022 CPA funds were used to replace the front steps and state funds were used for the 1993 renovation, all alterations to the building must adhere to Secretary of the Interior’s standards, which would preclude use of alternative roofing material if red slate is still available.

Demolition Delay Hearing for 80 South East Street Rescheduled for February 9 Meeting
Because neither owner Agnes Ting nor her attorney could attend this meeting, they requested that the hearing on the proposed demolition of the house at 80 South East Street be postponed until February. While the AHC agreed to continue the hearing until February 9, they did discuss their recent site visit.

Commission members were impressed with the historic fabric of the structure, with hand-hewn beams, historic flooring, and an “interesting “staircase. Joel Greenbaum also noted that the original front door was present inside the porch, added later.

Historical Commission to Hear Presentation Regarding Downtown Design Standards
Planner Walker Powell stated that the town will give a presentation on the proposed downtown design standards developed by town staff with consultation from Dodson and Flinker Landscape Architecture and Planning at the AHC meeting in February or March.