Fee Waiver Rejected for Clock Museum

Selectmen rejected a request from officials at for a waiver of building fees for work being done on the historic building.

Representatives of the museum asked selectmen last week to reduce or eliminate the building permit fee, which would be about $700.

The Willard House and Clock Museum is located in a home built by Joseph Willard, Grafton’s first permanent white settler, in 1718. The museum houses a world-class collection of Willard clocks.

The roof shingles of the house are being replaced by Atlantic Construction and Management of Concord.

Selectmen said granting a waiver would set a precedent that they were not comfortable making.

Churches have paid the fee when they are doing work, Town Administrator Timothy McInerney said. Waivers have been granted only for town-owned properties.

Selectman Brook Padgett cast the sole vote in favor of the waiver.

Selectman John Carlson said paying for a building permit is “part of doing business.’’

Members of the Historical Commission raised concerns about the work from an historical and aesthetic perspective.

Commission clerk Ann Morgan wrote in a letter to selectmen that replacing a cedar shingle roof with modern, man-made shingles would “have an adverse impact on the architectural integrity of the historic structure.’’

Selectmen said that issue was not their responsibility to address.

Willard House president Rick Currier said that cedar shingles are more expensive and would only last about five years. A synthetic roof would be a “better long-term investment,’’ he said.

Carlson said that cedar shingles could more easily spark a fire after a lightning strike and that the man-made shingles would be safer.