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of Selectmen, the Planning Board, the Conserva- tion Commission, the Board of Health, the Board of Assessors, the Historical Commission, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Police and Fire Chiefs, the School Committee, and other groups– which is why it passed nearly unanimously at the special town meeting.” The final agreement between the town and the developer splits the property into two piec- es: a public parcel and a private one. Plans for the nine-acre, public parcel include open space and the rebuilding of the rolling copper mill CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS to become a Paul Revere Museum and Cultural Center, and his son’s old barn to be transformed into a historic-themed restaurant/tavern.“The town already has a very nice Main Street/town center that you can walk to from the site, but what it’s lacking is open space,” says Smead. The availability of both open space and the funding mechanism to buy it, was fortuitous, as Comeau explains: “A number of years ago, the town voted in favor of the Community Preservation Act and we set aside a certain percentage each year, and the state gives the town funds for that. And so, part of this project probably wouldn’t have happened if not for using Community Preservation funds to purchase a large portion of land to be set aside just for open space. And so, this is probably the first time in quite some time, if ever, that the town will have a town green or town common.” “We have a revitalized downtown,” agrees Del Vecchio. “It’s a quite attractive core of our community, but this complements that; it’s walking distance to it and it pro- vides nine acres of open space with these two historic buildings, which we think will be a magnet for additional folks coming to town, to spend time in Canton, see what Canton’s history is about with respect to Paul Revere, have lunch or dinner, and go home. The whole effort LAURA SMEAD CANTON TOWN PLANNER JEREMY COMEAU MEMBER OF THE TOWN’S PAUL REVERE HERITAGE COMMISSION