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Politics & Government

Keeping Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester

The Writght-Locke Farm Conservancy was successfully able to postpone the closing of the farm until September 30, thanks to a donation of $24,990

The Wright-Locke Farm Conservancy Board met Monday night to further their plans to keep the historical farm up and running for this years raspberry season and beyond.

The board is hoping to keep Wright-Locke Farm a Winchester staple as a rare agricultural market and attraction.

The main matter discussed by the board was how they were successful in getting the closing of the farm delayed until September 30 by providing the farm (which is owned by the town) a gift of $24,990 to fix the roof of the 1827 barn. The Board of Selectmen thanked the Conservancy in a letter and accepted the offer to have the Conservancy manage the project.

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Although there has been no official contract signed, the Board of Selectmen will be discussing the managing agreement at their August 10 meeting, and the board was hopeful that they should be approved to go ahead with the project by August 23.

Added to this, the board is pushing forward with a garage upgrade for the barn and has already received a letter from the Massachusetts Historical Commission indicating that the upgrade wouldn't "adversely affect significant historic characteristics of the building." Conservancy member Werner Carlson told the board he would look into finding volunteers to complete the project.

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In light of these renovations, board member Roger Wilson donated a massive white board for the barn's interior along with a 10-foot long table, one of many donations that are sure to come from the board and beyond to keep the farm functioning.

Another topic the Conservancy spent some time on was discussing the traffic conditions surrounding the farm to better accommodated visitors. Sally Quinn took the helm and brought up some ideas concerning temporary road improvements to direct traffic flow during the upcoming raspberry season using cones and barricades she and the other boards members were confident the town would approve of.

Other topics that were covered included the Bay State Inspection heading to the farm this Wednesday at 10 a.m. There was a brief discussion about raspberry pricing and also committee reports regarding the Board's Logo/Website.

In the short term, this is all in an effort to have the farm open for raspberry season. The board hopes to have everything set for the regular "Picking Thursdays" when the farm kicks off the season, opening its doors August 12. The board hopes to adhere to last years schedule – closed Mondays, open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, and also Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. More long-term plans involve the eventual purchase of the farm by the Conservancy from the town.

Several more fund raising efforts are in the works, proving that although the Conservancy Board has made great strides in keeping Wright-Locke Farm a Winchester agricultural pillar, they still have a long way to go.

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