[MassHistPres] Local Preservation Update E-Newsletter-October 6, 2014

[Skelly, Christopher (SEC)]

LOCAL PRESERVATION UPDATE E-NEWSLETTER
Published by the Massachusetts Historical Commission

October 6, 2014



SURVEY AND PLANNING GRANTS
The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) Fiscal Year 2015 Survey and Planning Grant cycle is underway.   For the FY 2015 round, eligible applicants will include all local historical commissions, local historic district commissions, municipal planning offices, and other public and non-profit historic preservation organizations.  At the time of this writing, total available funding for the FY 2015 matching grant round is still contingent on MHC’s FY 2015 federal budget allocation, which has not yet been determined.  For FY 2015, the MHC/Grantee match shares will be 50/50. As the State Historic Preservation Office, the Massachusetts Historical Commission is responsible for administering the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. The Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service and State Historic Preservation Offices, to grant funds to communities and private non-profit organizations for a wide range of preservation‑related activities. These include completion of cultural resource inventories, nomination of significant properties to the National Register of Historic Places, completion of community-wide preservation plans, and other types of studies, reports, publications and projects that relate to the identification and protection of significant historic properties and sites. The goal of the Survey and Planning Grant program is to support efforts to identify and plan for the protection of the significant historic buildings, structures, archaeological sites and landscapes of the Commonwealth. With this announcement, the MHC is initiating the Fiscal Year 2015 grant round of funding for Certified Local Governments (CLGs), municipal historic preservation commissions, non-profit organizations and other eligible applicants.   (MHC is required under federal law to pass through 10% of its annual federal budget allocation to CLGs.  CLGs in Massachusetts are the municipalities of Boston, Bedford, Brookline, Danvers, Eastham, Falmouth, Grafton, Hingham, Holyoke, Lexington, Lowell, Medfield, Medford, Methuen, New Bedford, Newton, Plymouth, Quincy, Salem, Somerville, and Worcester.)  In Fiscal Year 2015 the grant program will be available to both CLG and non-CLG municipalities, as well as other qualified applicants. A Survey and Planning grant can provide critical support for projects that help to preserve the character of your community. Please consider applying for a grant by completing a pre‑application and returning it to the Massachusetts Historical Commission by Monday, November 17, 2014, 5 p.m. (no faxed or emailed applications accepted).  Additional information, guidelines and the pre-application form are available on MHC’s web site at: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhchpp/Surveyandplanning.htm


MASSACHUSETTS ARCHAEOLOGY MONTH IS OCTOBER 2014
During the month of October, museums, local historical societies, libraries, avocational archaeologists, universities, local historical commissions, professional archaeologists, and other organizations have planned a variety of exciting events for you and your family to enjoy. Learn about recent archaeological investigations in your town, meet an archaeologist, or take a bike tour. This year, there are 93 events that promote awareness of the Commonwealth’s rich archaeological past through fun and engaging programs. For more information including a calendar of events, visit http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcarch/arch_month/archidx.htm.


WESTERN MA HISTORICAL COMMISSION COALITION REGIONAL WORKSHOP
The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission will host the next meeting of the Western Massachusetts Historical Commission Coalition.  Entitled “Preservation: With or Without an Historic District,” topics will include the community preservation act, historic property survey, local historic districts, advocacy and outreach.  It will be held on October 21, 2014 from 10am to 12pm at the offices of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, 60 Congress Street, Springfield, MA.  Refreshments will be provided.  For more information, contact Elizabeth Rairigh, Historic Preservation Planner, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, erairigh at pvpc.org<mailto:erairigh at pvpc.org>.



MHC DEMOLITION DELAY WORKSHOPS
During November, the Massachusetts Historical Commission will present workshops on demolition delay bylaws in Great Barrington and Maynard.  The workshop is primarily for local historical commission members interested in establishing a demolition delay bylaw in their community.  However, anyone interested in understanding the basics of a demolition delay bylaw is welcome to attend.  The module covers the advantages of demolition delay bylaws, the different types of demolition delay bylaws found in Massachusetts, the typical steps in a demolition delay bylaw and success stories with demolition delay from around the state.  For scheduled dates, see calendar below.


FREE ONLINE COURSE ON BOSTON HISTORY

Suffolk University is offering a free online course on Boston’s history. For more information, visit http://historyofboston.org/


NEW LISTINGS IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
Boston (Mattapan), 825-829 Blue Hill Avenue

Falmouth, Oak Grove Cemetery



SOLAR PANELS AND HISTORIC BUILDINGS

According to the Lowell Historic Board’s recent newsletter, the Board has approved nearly 3,500 solar panels in the Downtown Lowell Historic District since November 2010.  The Historic Board has taken the approach that solar panels, green roofs, and other green and/or sustainable elements can be successfully integrated into historic structures by working with applicants throughout the design process.



CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND DATES TO REMEMBER

October 21, 2014

Western MA Historical Commission Coalition Regional Workshop.

Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Springfield, MA.  For more information, see above.
November 5, 2014
MHC Demolition Delay Workshop.  Great Barrington, MA. For more information, contact Christopher.Skelly at state.ma.us<mailto:Christopher.Skelly at state.ma.us>.
November 6, 2014
MHC Demolition Delay Workshop.  Maynard, MA. For more information, contact Christopher.Skelly at state.ma.us<mailto:Christopher.Skelly at state.ma.us>.
November 17, 2014
MHC Survey and Planning Grants Pre-applications due.  For more information, see above.


********************************************
Please forward this newsletter on to others that may be interested.  If you are receiving this as a forwarded message and would like to receive it directly, please contact the Massachusetts Historical Commission.   The Massachusetts Historical Commission also has a listserve, known as masshistpres, specifically for historic preservation.  You can join this listserve by visiting http://mailman.cs.umb.edu/mailman/listinfo/masshistpres.  This newsletter is posted on masshistpres directly and sent to local commission members.  We welcome your thoughts on what you would like to see in this newsletter.  The website for the Massachusetts Historical Commission is http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcidx.htm
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.cs.umb.edu/mailman/private/masshistpres/attachments/20141006/8ecf9db2/attachment-0001.htm>