In the News

It’s never too late to celebrate a big federal grant for an important historic preservation project.

At a Town Hall gathering on Tuesday with town officials and news reporters, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, touted a $750,000 payback from the 2023 U.S. budget to the town for critical restoration of the Town Hall cupola in May 2022.

The cupola's deterioration resulted in water damage to Town Hall, built in 1901. In June 2021, Town Meeting approved borrowing for the design, engineering and construction costs for the restoration project, including roof replacement and other building repairs.

Neal earmarked funding to reimburse the town in the budget signed by President Biden on Dec. 29, 2022.

At Tuesday's gathering, Select Board Chairman Neal Maxymillian cited Neal for his “tireless efforts for the community.”

Neal credited state Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, D-Lenox, for urging him to pursue federal refunding for the town as a historic restoration project.

Emphasizing his commitment to local government preservation of historic monuments, Neal suggested that “it’s fair to say even Republicans would give me great credit” for pursuing historic tax credits to cities and towns nationwide.

“They incentivize people to do things they ordinarily wouldn’t do,” Neal said. “In the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) budget, at the request of Representative Pignatelli, we put in $750,000 for restoration of this spectacular building.”

The congressman described the cupola as a historic and unique symbol of New England town halls.

Prior to the ceremony, Pignatelli recalled how roof and cupola leaks had caused flooding in multiple Town Hall offices, including his own on the second floor.

“I lost a lot of paperwork and a computer,” he said.

The emergency repairs yielded a beautiful cupola, “a cornerstone of the town of Lenox,” said Pignatelli. Pignatelli is currently serving as interim town manager while a search committee works on selecting finalists from 44 applicants seeking to succeed Christopher Ketchen, who stepped aside on June 30.

“It’s a nice reimbursement for the town, and Richie Neal delivered for us,” Pignatelli told The Eagle, noting that the restoration work had been completed two years ago.

“I take personal and professional pride in this building,” Pignatelli said. "It’s terrific for the feds to come through with this check.”

Pignatelli served as a Select Board member in Lenox from 1992 to 2003 after five years on the Planning Board. His father, John J. Pignatelli, who was 95 when he passed away in March 2019, was on the Select Board from 1961 to 1993.