Shrewsbury CPC Unanimously Backs $300,000 Grant for Historic Schoolhouse Restoration

SHREWSBURY — March 23, 2026 — Shrewsbury Community Preservation Committee recommends $300,000 grant for District 5 Schoolhouse restoration ahead of town's 300th anniversary. The committee voted unanimously at a March 23 special meeting to send the Shrewsbury Historical Society's grant application to the Annual Town Meeting as Warrant Article 29, part of a total restoration estimated at just under $500,000. Christine Gustafson, Vice President of the Historical Society, and architect Anthony D'Amano of Lamoureau Pagano Architects of Worcester presented feasibility findings that include a powder post beetle infestation in the floor framing, missing ADA-compliant parking and ramp access, and a stovepipe hanging below the 80-inch code clearance — all inside the 1828 building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and closed to the public for years. The $260,000 exterior estimate drew pointed questions from one member, who called it "a big number" for a site with two parking spaces and a short walk, before the committee voted to approve. The panel also unanimously approved an updated annual appropriations article reflecting a revised 15.5 percent state matching funds rate and voted to ask the Maple Avenue Recreation Field Lighting applicant to explore whether Shrewsbury Electric Light Company could offset a portion of the project's $650,000 estimated cost before Town Meeting.