Essex National Heritage Area
Tom Leonard, President, ENHC

Tom Leonard,
President Emeritus, ENHC

Tom Leonard writes a monthly column for the community newspapers in the Essex National Heritage Area. This is a reprint of this month's column.
tleonard
at essexheritage.org.

Columns
Essex Heritage Evaluation Process Underway

For many in this region, winter can be a difficult time. Weather conditions make travel and just getting around the communities where we live and work a little more troublesome and time consuming. The winter of 2009 is certainly becoming one of the most difficult in recent memory.

The national and world economy continues to be a concern, and every day we all likely experience more and more examples of the changes we must make in the way we live. There are certainly some positive signs that show up from time to time, as gas prices remain moderate, and the expectations of a federal economic stimulus bill offers some hope for the near term

Evaluating Essex Heritage as a Resource for the Region

Over the last several weeks, many members of the Board of Trustees and a wide range of friends, partners and the staff of the Essex Heritage Commission have been participating in a valuable evaluation process. Before the recent holidays, a Washington D.C. firm, the Center for Park Management that acts as an arm of National Park Conservation Association started gathering data and conducting interviews to develop a collection of findings on the efficacy and impact of the work of Essex Heritage on this region. The report will be completed later in 2009 and then forwarded to the National Park Service and ultimately to the United States Congress for a determination that will impact how Essex Heritage will continue its work in this region. Essex Heritage is not the only heritage area being evaluated at this time. There are several other areas that were established at the same time, that are being reviewed as well. Essex Heritage has been in existence for over a decade, and the current evaluation will look at both our past performance and expectations for our future.

We want to publicly thank the dozens of friends and partners who have committed their very valuable time over the last few weeks to meet or speak with and to provide valuable information to the CPM evaluation team. Your time and commitment providing input and evaluation of the work of the Commission is certainly most appreciated. We want to offer a particular thank you to the House of Seven Gables and the Salem Five Bank who provided meeting space and other resources to us during the evaluation process. We remain confidant that the report when completed will be a testimony to the support we have both provided and received from so many diverse partner organizations, and that the mission of the Essex National Heritage Commission will remain unchanged as we move into a second decade of service to this region.

Essex Heritage Offers a Support program to Area Non-Profit Organizations

Essex Heritage in partnership with the Essex County Community Foundation have joined together to examine the long-term sustainability of heritage non-profit organizations served by ENHC. This important sector of the local economy is viewed as a significant contributor to the quality of life of the region. Due in part to the difficult economy, rapidly increasing operating expenses, unreliable funding streams and declining revenues, historic sites, and particularly those with irreplaceable and historically significant physical assets, are "at-risk". Last fall, Essex Heritage contracted with Cause & Effect Consulting, Inc., led by Gayle Gifford, to conduct a multi-phased study that will involve up to fifteen heritage non-profit partners as voluntary collaborators. Cause & Effect's role will be to facilitate strategic discussion and expertise, aiding deliberation and decision-making. Over the last months, preliminary survey work and site visits were conducted as part of “Phase One” of the project to create a baseline set of assumptions and recommendations. A report outlining recommendations based on these findings is expected to be released in the next several weeks. When those recommendations are complete Essex Heritage and the Essex County Community Foundation will provide a report for the region.

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.