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4 be used by multiple parties but many difficult decisions will need to be made. Mr. Cronin stated that the 2009 plan was not an initial phase of design but that the design phase can be broken down into ‘layers’ and that the $1,000,000 set aside for design would cover the entire project and not just initial drawings. Elaine Ashton commented that the Stone Building has been waiting for over a decade for these much -needed repairs. Ms. Ashton commented that the repair costs would have been much lower had these repairs been made immediately and that the historic significance of the Stone Building cannot be overstated. Ms. Ashton also noted that the Committee has an abundance of funds this year and that it is time: no one else will renovate, and if the Town cannot, that is concerning. After a motion was duly made and seconded the Committee voted by roll call vote (3 yeses, one of which was subject to additional questions being answered; -2 definite noes; -4 “waits”, one of which was tending to no) in a straw poll. There were no abstentions. Restoration of First Parish Church Clock: David Pollack of the First Parish Church presented a request to restore the 1869 E. Howard clock in the church’s steeple. The restoration would incur a cost of $16,000, of which $12,000 would come from CPA funds while the remaining $4,000 would be raised privately. The funds would not be utilized for maintenance and upkeep; that is done by the church. Mr. Pollack stated that the church is a major presence on the Battle Green and that the goal of the church is to have the restoration of the clock completed before the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and associated celebrations. Mr. Pollack also reminded the Committee that no CPA funds have been used to repair the building before. Ms. Fenollosa added that she had spoken to Town Counsel and that he stated that as a result of the Acton case, there were no issues in using municipal funds to restore a religious building as long as it would not be used to restore or procure anything with explicitly religious imagery. Mr. Pollack noted that in 2021, the latest year reported in the CPA Projects Database, 39 church restoration projects received CPA funds. Of these 39 projects, two involved extraordinary clock repair: • Repair and restoration of the 1909 Seth Thomas clock located at First Congre gational Church in the historic center of Hadley. The CPA grant awarded was $13,500. • Restoration of the clock, bell, and bell tower at the Church on the Hill (1806 Meeting House) in Lenox, MA. After a motion was duly made and seconded the Committee conducted a roll call vote (8-0-0) in a straw poll to support the project. Before the vote, Mr. Horton recused himself, citing his membership of First Parish Church. Ms. Fenollosa then declared that an Executive Session was warranted under Exemption 6, to consider the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property, as the discussion in an open