At the most recent meeting of the Reverend Morrison Meetinghouse Steering Committee (RMMSC), allegations were made by the chair, Kathy Wagner, that the original support beams were taken from the dumpster during the 2014 reconstruction done on the floor of what was then known as the Lions Hall..
Ann Chiampa, a member of the committee, who wasn’t present at the meeting due to medical reasons, was outraged at the statement that she and Jim Butler, a former Town Councilor, had removed the beams without being given the authority to do so.
In a statement to the Londonderry Times, Chiampa said, “Last Friday, Aug. 9, I had a meeting with Town Manager, Mike Malaguti, lasting about 45-minutes. I went over all my documentation that clearly shows that Kathy Wagner’s accusations, that the Reverend Morrison Meetinghouse’s original hand-hewn floor joists had been “extorted” or “robbed” from the town, are totally baseless and completely false.”
She also clarified, “Back in 2014, I documented everything in a photo binder given to me by past Administrative Support Coordinator, Steve Cotton. The photos visually recorded the old floor being taken out and the new floor being put in. I added the Heritage Commission meeting minutes of March 27, 2014, which contained HC/HDC Member/Town Councilor Jim Butler’s mention of salvaging some hand-hewn floor joists for the Historical Society. I also included emails from Steve Cotton and a timeline of events. But most importantly, l asked for and received an official letter from former Town Manager, Kevin Smith, documenting the fee-free transfer of ownership of the beams, etc., from the Town of Londonderry to the Historical Society. It’s all in that big binder I have lugged to every Rev. Morrison Meetinghouse Study Committee meeting, as I’m an alternate member of the committee.”
“I have given copies of Kevin Smith’s April 9, 2014 letter to: Town Manager Mike Malaguti, Town Clerk Sherry Farrell (liaison to the RMMSC) and to the Town of Londonderry Building Department for their file on the Rev. Morrison’s Meetinghouse.”
Smith’s letter, addressed to the Historical Society, reads, “During the Lions Hall center floor restructure, which occurred in March/April of 2014 several artifacts were recovered during the demolition of the existing floor. To preserve a part of Londonderry’s history, the Town of Londonderry is transferring ownership “fee-free” of the hand hewn floor joists/beams and other artifacts recovered from ‘Dr. Morrison’s Meeting House. 1769-1837 (center part of what is now known as the Lions Hall) to the Londonderry Historical Society.”
Chiampa added, “To sum it up, we did nothing wrong. Period. Jim Butler, Steve Cotton, Kevin Smith, and I had the foresight to work together to save those valuable historic floor joists from the dumpster, for future re-use. We collaborated (not conspired) to get the job done.”