Selectmen will take up the issue at the June 6th meeting.
Two Wilbraham residents think the Grange Hall would be a great place for an agricultural museum.WILBRAHAM – Two residents say they believe an agricultural museum would be an ideal use of Grange Hall.
The town has been trying unsuccessfully to find a use for the building.
Voters at the annual Town Meeting gave selectmen authorization to dispose of Grange Hall at 485 Main Street, provided they return to the Town Meeting if they want to demolish the building.
The Board of Selectmen has been seeking a re-use for the building since it took it over from the Wilbraham Grange in 2004 after the Wilbraham Grange announced it was merging with the Palmer Grange.
Selectmen Chairman Patrick J. Brady said the Board of Selectmen will discuss the options for the building at its June 6th meeting.
Gerda Trzeciha who served on the Grange Hall Study Committee told selectmen Monday that a museum would be a perfect use for the building.
Llewellyn Merrick, a longtime vegetable farmer in town, said he envisions an agricultural museum like the agricultural museum in Hadley.
“I’ve been told that young people are not interested in agriculture, but when there are no more farms left in the area, future generations of young people may be interested in agriculture,” Merrick said.
Merrick said he has a lot of farm tools which he would donate to the museum. He said there also are farm tools from the former Rice fruit stand on Main Street.
The building needs about $175,000 worth of work, Merrick said.
He said that before it could be re-used, the building would have to be made accessible to the handicapped, including rest rooms.
It would be difficult to get grants for the work because the area has not been declared a historic district, but Merrick said he believes Community Preservation Act tax funds collected from Wilbraham residents could be used for the project.
The town’s agricultural past is a part of history and should be preserved, Trzeciha said.