Medway & Millis May 2019

Page 2 Medway & Millis Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com May 2019
NIAGARA HALL
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and performance by members
of the Greater Boston Firefighters
Pipes and Drums band.
“Jeff started this thing in
1999,” says Millis Historical
Commission chair Nathan Maltinsky.
It all began with a $50K
grant secured by Cheryl Jacques,
Mass. Senator at the time.
“That was enough money to
do the front of the building,”
says Maltinsky. Later, he says, the
Historical Commission sent out
fundraising letters and held a few
fundraisers. “Many local businesses
and townspeople donated
toward the restoration,” he says.
The real restoration, he says,
began in 2010, when the Niagara
Hall project received funding
from the Community Preservation
Commission.
“The building was picked up,
and a new partial foundation was
poured,” says Maltinsky. That
cost $60K, he says, which was a
bargain for the foundation, the
slab underneath, a new floor and
framing. Later, a hose tower that
had been taken off in 1974 was
recreated and dropped into place
about four or five years ago.
Among the many renovations Niagara has undergone is the replacement of its tower. Photo courtesy of
Charles Vecchi.
As much money that has
gone into it, however, Maltinsky
stresses, the volunteer labor that
has gone into the building easily
matches in monetary value the
CPC funding.
“We have had some very
dedicated and committed Historic
Commission members,”
says Maltinsky. “I’m very proud
of this building and all the effort
that’s been put in,” says Maltinsky.
“This whole corner, the
building, with the library, it sets
the tone for the whole town. It’s
the fabric of Millis, and everyone
recognizes it.”
Millis native Dennis Anderson
is among those who’ve put in
numerous hours to finish up with
a lot of the painting work at Niagara
Hall.
“I joined the Millis Historical
Society a couple of years ago,”
says Anderson, who explains that
the private society differs from
the town board that is the Millis
Historical Commission. Anderson
is one of four generations of
his family to have worked in the
Niagara building.
“The tradition continues,” he
laughs.
NIAGARA HALL
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