Essex Heritage Notes Funding Needs and Partnership Grant Program Moves Forward

Essex Heritage Annual Appeal in the Home Stretch

As we close in on the end of the Essex Heritage fiscal year at the end of June 2020, several efforts are underway to generate additional gifts to help support this work of Essex Heritage. This is certainly a critical time as diminished national and state resources makes it more and more difficult to preserve these precious regional resources for future generations. The mission of Essex Heritage is focused on the preservation and the promotion of the historic, cultural and natural resources of this region and throughout the year numerous programs are offered to help focus that mission on the three quarters of a million residents of this region.

Planning for Trails and Sails the premier resident participation event offered each fall, this year for two weekends, is well underway, and the 2010 edition will offer even more events than ever before and will allow many more residents the opportunity to share in the resources of this region. Meetings have been held since last fall to further the planning for the Essex Heritage Scenic Byway that will offer opportunities to preserve and promote the historic roadway in those thirteen communities along the spectacular 64 mile trail that winds its way along the coast of Essex County from Lynn in the south to Newburyport in the north, Educational initiatives continue for Essex Heritage partners using the Essex Links program along with several National Park Service programs, all designed to enhance the learning process for our area youth. I believe from this brief recap of just some of the programs being offered to the region by Essex Heritage one can easily gauge the value of this organization to the region and the justification for continuing support.. Information on how to provide support can be found at www.essexheritage.org.

Preservation Equals Jobs

Last month, hundreds of preservation activists walked the halls of Congress to meet with elected officials to help deliver an important message that preservation efforts is a job creator. This is a rather simple message, but it is one that sometimes gets lost when people think about preservation efforts.  As an organization that energetically and enthusiastically supports preservation, the job creation concept has always been foremost in our thinking.  After many years of advocating for preservation legislation as an engine of economic expansion we know the importance of preservation to the economy.  Just for an example, the Historic Rehab Tax Credit act has created over 1.8 million jobs since it was enacted in 1976.  Preservation jobs created by programs like “Save America’s Treasures” are cost effective jobs creators as well as programs that preserve important resources.  The National Park Service has estimated that this program alone has created over 16,000 jobs and preservation generally means green jobs, as preservation efforts generally mean more energy efficient improvements and that work contributes to a more sustainable environment.  Preservation program are important to this country and to this region, and if you have a chance to make that case to our elected federal officials it would be appreciated.

Essex Heritage Partnership Grant Program Moves to Conclusion

After a one year hiatus the Essex Heritage Partnership Grant Program that has provided over $1.75 million in funding to the region is back and is preparing to make a series of new grants. In 2010 the Commission has made $25,000 available for this regional matching funds program. These awards will be provided to ten applicants in the form of $2,500 grants. Earlier this year a call was issued to the region that indicated that a “scaled down” on-line application was being encouraged and the Commission was very pleased to see a wonderful response. Forty seven applications were received, and that total was about the same level of activity as in the most recent years. The Commission team responsible for creating a process of selection created an electronic grading system and after a preliminary screening eliminated some of the applicants, the remaining applications were forwarded electronically to the Essex Heritage screening committee and that group made their recommendations On May 20, 2010 at the annual spring meeting of the Essex National Heritage Commission that will be held at 4:00 pm at the Blue Ocean Music Hall on the beach in Salisbury, just prior to the third annual Heritage Hero Awards Dinner, the ten grant recipients for 2010 will be announced to the public.

In addition to a much broader use of the web site, Essex Heritage is also communicating using traditional methods like this monthly column and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Linked in as well as using other non traditional methods like the Essex Happenings BLOG that I post information to three times a week that can be accessed at www.essexhappenings.blogspot.com.

Read more about the region from Tom Leonard on his blog.

Thomas M. Leonard is President Emeritus of the Essex National Heritage Commission, Inc., the nonprofit management entity of the Essex National Heritage Area, and can be reached by clicking here.