[MassHistPres] Updates from the Massachusetts Historical Commission

[Doherty, Jennifer @ SEC]

Updates from the Massachusetts Historical Commission

MHC Announces MPPF Round 31 & Virtual Workshops
Secretary William F. Galvin, Chair of the Massachusetts Historical Commission is pleased to announce that Round 31 of the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) grant program has been scheduled. It is anticipated that funding will be in the range of $1,000,000.

Administered by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC), the MPPF is a state-funded 50% matching grant reimbursement program established in 1984 to support the preservation of properties, landscapes, and sites listed in the State Register of Historic Places. Applicants must be a municipality or nonprofit organization. The program is administered in accordance with 950 CMR 73.00.  Please note that grant disbursement is subject to reauthorization of the capital accounts and the availability of sufficient allocated funds.

This year three virtual workshops will be held. Zoom information is available on the MHC's website<https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/mhc/grants/mppf-workshops.htm>.

*         Tuesday, January 7, 2025, 2-4 pm

*         Thursday, January 16, 2025, 10 am-12 pm

*         Monday, January 27, 2025, 2-4 pm

MHC hopes that your schedule allows you to join a member of the MHC's Grants Division as they explain the program requirements, go over program materials, and give you the opportunity to ask questions.  Workshops are free of charge and no registration is required.  Applicants are encouraged to begin compiling application materials before attending a workshop, or as soon as possible, to allow sufficient time to meet the application deadline.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  March 14, 2025

TO APPLY:  Download the MPPF Application and MPPF Application Instructions from the MHC website (https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/mhc/grants/mppf.htm) or request a hard copy of the Application by contacting the MHC Grants Division at 617-727-8470.

Limited quantities of the hardcopy versions of the Application and Instructions will be made available. Please call the MHC at 617-727-8470 or e-mail Paul Holtz at paul.holtz at sec.state.ma.us<mailto:paul.holtz at sec.state.ma.us> if you have any questions or would like to receive hardcopies of the Application and Instructions.

INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO PRESENTATIONS:  The MHC strongly encourages all potential applicants to either attend one of the scheduled MPPF Virtual Workshops or to view the video presentations<https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/mhc/grants/MPPF-Program-Introduction.htm> available for download on the MHC website, familiarize themselves with the application requirements, and begin compiling application materials as early as possible in order to meet the application deadline.

The MPPF Program Introduction video provides an overview of the program's history and its impact on historic sites throughout the Commonwealth.  In the MPPF Round 31 Application Presentation video<https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/mhc/grants/mppf-how-to-apply.htm>, MHC staff present the MPPF application process in its entirety.

CONTACT:  Please contact one of the following MPPF project managers with questions regarding the MPPF program and application process: Paul Holtz, paul.holtz at sec.state.ma.us<mailto:paul.holtz at sec.state.ma.us> or Ross Dekle, ross.dekle at sec.state.ma.us<mailto:ross.dekle at sec.state.ma.us>.


Congratulations to Massachusetts' Newest Certified Local Government, Fall River!
On November 19, 2024, the City of Fall River became Massachusetts' newest Certified Local Government (CLG), bringing the total number of CLGs in Massachusetts to 31. In the CLG program, the MHC, with concurrence from the National Park Service, certifies communities that have a high level of preservation activity and interest. There are several benefits to becoming a CLG:


*         Increased participation in the National Register of Historic Places listing process

*         Dedicated funding in the MHC's Survey & Planning Grant program

*         Eligibility for additional funding and technical assistance from the MHC and the National Park Service

The City of Fall River established its local historical commission in 1977 and its first local historic district in 2015. In recent years, the Fall River Historical Commission has been working to update the community's inventory of historic resources, reviews proposed demolitions under the City's demolition delay ordinance, and enforces the local historic district ordinance in the Highlands Local Historic District. Fall River adopted the Community Preservation Act in 2012, and the Fall River Historical Commission supports physical rehabilitation projects funded with CPA monies. Becoming a CLG will further the Fall River Historical Commission's documentation efforts as well as recent work by local economic development agencies to encourage the use of federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits in the community.

If your community is interested in becoming a CLG, please contact Jenn Doherty, Local Government Programs Coordinator and state CLG Coordinator, at Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us<mailto:Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us>. Please note that your community must have a local historic district or local landmark bylaw/ordinance to become a CLG.


Report on Flood Resiliency of Traditional Building Materials Published
>From the National Park Service

The National Park Service is partnering with the US Army Corps of Engineer's Construction Engineering Research Laboratory to conduct laboratory tests of the flood resiliency of traditional building materials. The second of three rounds of testing is now complete, and the report is available<https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/testing-traditional-materials-for-flood-resilience.htm> on the Technical Preservation Services (TPS) website.

The initial round of testing, completed in 2019, investigated traditional building assemblies. The recently completed round investigated how various traditional materials, finishes, and assemblies react to inundation, drying, and cleaning. Testing examined individual building assemblies and tested a variety of historic materials: soft brick, lime plaster, stucco, and various old growth wood species. Additionally, the testing provided data comparable to the data for modern construction materials found in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Technical Bulletin 2-08, Flood-Resistant Materials Requirements for Buildings Located in Special Flood Hazard Areas in accordance with the National Flood Insurance Program.<https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/fema_tb_2_flood_damage-resistant_materials_requirements.pdf>

A third round of testing, currently underway, is investigating the impact coatings have on the flood resilience of traditional building materials. All tests utilize ASTM E3075 Standard Test Method for Water Immersion and Drying for Evaluation of Flood Damage Resistance<https://www.astm.org/e3075-18.html>, a testing method used to bring uniformity in the evaluation of building materials' response to flooding.

Please visit the TPS website<https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/index.htm> for further information regarding the testing rounds and to read the reports published to date<https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/testing-traditional-materials-for-flood-resilience.htm>.


Recordings Now Available

*         The Salem Preservation Partners held the fourth annual Preservation in a Changing Climate<https://www.preservingsalem.com/preservation-in-a-changing-climate-1> conference in Salem at the end of September. Recordings of all of the session are now available to view on YouTube from the conference's website<https://www.preservingsalem.com/preservation-in-a-changing-climate-2024>.

*         The Eastern Massachusetts Historical Commission Coalition met in October to review funding opportunities for historic resources. Presenters included the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the State Historic Records Advisory Board, MassDevelopment, and MAPC. The recording is available on MAPC's website<https://www.mapc.org/resource-library/eastern-massachusetts-historical-commission-coalition/>.


Recent National Register of Historic Places Listings

*         Beverly, David S. Lynch Memorial Park

*         Boston, Dixwell Street Apartments Historic District

*         Boston, Hyde Park High School

*         Haverhill, Haverhill Powder House

*         Lancaster, North Village Cemetery

*         Worcester, JR Torrey Razor Co. and JR Torrey & Co. Manufacturing Facility


Recent Local Historic Districts/Local Landmarks

*         Boston, Apollos Field House

*         Boston, Beacon Hill Historic District Boundary Increase

*         Boston, Horticultural Hall

*         Boston, North Market Building

*         Boston, Richardson Block

*         Boston, The Ropewalk

*         Boston, South Market Building

*         Boston, William Lloyd Garrison House

*         Plymouth, Plymouth Historic District Boundary Increase

*         Wellesley, Stanwood House Local Historic District


Join the Preservation Conversation!
The MassHistPres listserv is an email group of over 700 members - local historical and historic district commission members, municipal staff, consultants, tradespeople, and others interested in historic preservation across the Commonwealth. It's a great place to ask questions of and learn from fellow preservationists. To join, send an email to MassHistPres-Join at cs.umb.edu<mailto:MassHistPres-Join at cs.umb.edu>, or contact Jennifer Doherty at Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us<mailto:Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us>.


Update the MHC!
Membership or officer changes on your commission? Be sure to send in updates to Jennifer Doherty at Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us<mailto:Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us>.


Jennifer B. Doherty
Local Government Programs Coordinator
Massachusetts Historical Commission
220 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125-3314
Office: (617) 727-8470
Remote: (617) 807-0685
Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us<mailto:Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us>

Register for virtual workshops<https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/mhc/programs/workshops.htm>

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