WINDSOR – This historic town is doing even more to preserve itsolden times.

The Windsor Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to proceed with the work of restoring the town’s old livery stable by repairing the roof on the aging building.

The board has been discussing the building for several months and had it on Thursday’s agenda, but moved up the discussion following public comments from local resident Clara Bell.

Bell, who serves as chair of the Historic Properties Commission in Windsor, said she was in favor of the town restoringe the building and having it added to Windsor’s Historic District.

“I’m strongly in favor of saving the livery stable,” she said. “I believe it is worth saving and I think it would cost less to stabilize it than to tear it down.”

Bell also said she believed it could be drawn into the historic district.

Commissioner Bob Brown asked if she felt sure that would happen and Bell said she did.

“It would make me agree to spend more money if it is going to be accepted,” Brown said. “I can see that rather than just fixing it for it to be another building to maintain.”

Brown said he was in favor of repairing the roof immediately, but would support more substantive repairs if the building were added to the historic district.

Bell and Windsor Mayor Jimmy Hoggard each said they believed it would be added to the town’s historic district.

Commissioner Collins Cooper has a collection of old farm equipment he has offered to be displayed at the building once it is stabilized. Bell said she believed there would be volunteers to help tell visitors about the equipment once that happened.

Mayor Pro-Tem Hoyt Cooper asked if Bell thought there would be those who could help identify the equipment since some of it predated all the members of the board. Bell said there were resources to make that happen.

C. Cooper said he felt the stable would fit well into the historic district and that he didn’t think it was in bad shape.

The board instructed Town Administrator Allen Castelloe to meet with the Historic Properties Commission and get expert help to determine what needed to be done for the stable to correctly be restored as a historic property and report back to the board.

Commissioner Joe Alexander wanted the board to go further.

“How much longer are we going to wait,” Alexander asked. “We discuss these buildings and discuss them. I think we should do something.”

Hoggard said it would take time to get it added to the historic district and to be repaired.

Alexander said he was okay as long as the board decided to proceed or not, but not to just wait.

Commissioner David Overton suggested the board agree to fix the roof and then have the cost for the other repairs brought back at the next meeting. Alexander said he would agree to that suggestion.

Overton made a motion to follow his plan with C. Cooper offering a second. It passed without objection.