Corrected release date:March 26, 2008
County historic preservation grants presented
Local treasures get ‘bricks & mortar,’ receive matching funds
FREEHOLD – The Monmouth County Historical Commission awarded preservation grants recently for 25 restoration projects in 18 municipalities. The awards totaled $100,000.
“These grants directly support the great work being done by the community,” said Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the county Historical Commission. “Through these collective efforts, we can share our story while we create a greater understanding and appreciation of who we are as a people.”
The Historical Commission is dedicated to preserving the past and creating a living history. The types of projects eligible for funding are preservation, restoration or rehabilitation of historic structures, usually 50 years or older, and which are accessible to the public. The program covers essentially structural work for projects commonly known as “bricks and mortar” undertakings.
“It is particularly fitting that the county’s Historical Commission presents these awards as we begin a celebration of 325 years of history in Monmouth County,” Freeholder Burry said. “The on-going preservation and restoration of one-room schoolhouses, Revolutionary War houses, monuments, museums, cow barns and farm houses helps make history real and present in our daily lives.”
The Monmouth County Historical Commission was created by the Board of Chosen Freeholders for the preservation and conservation of Monmouth County history. Established in August 1988, its principal program is the preservation grants, an undertaking that recognizes the acute need for funds to preserve Monmouth County’s rich and diverse historic legacy. The commission grants matching funds on a competitive basis to municipalities and nonprofit organizations needing financial help in the preservation or restoration of historic structures.
“We have a good mix of grantees, including a number with repeated grants as well as first-time applicants,” said Randall Gabrielan, executive director of the Historical Commission. “The Historical Commission provides both sustained support and an open door for new projects.”
Each grant application must include a description of the mission, its meaning to history and the significance and the audience it serves. It must also include a detailed budget, a source of funding available for the applicant’s dollar-for-dollar contribution, detailed quotations for the work, the materials to be used and a time frame for completion.
In 2008, the total amount available for matching grants is $100,000. There is a $500 minimum and $5,000 maximum per applicant in any year. The program is competitive and the commission requires proof of the availability of matching funds.
Each grantee is required to submit interim and final reports; the documents are to be accompanied by three photographs that detail project progress. The interim report is due when 50 percent of the work is completed. The final report, due at completion, must show evidence of completion and a cancelled check to document payment to the contractor.
The Historical Commission’s Annual Preservation Awards ceremony was held Feb. 26 at the Monmouth County Agricultural Building, Freehold Township.
The deadline for applying for the preservation grants is Nov. 1 of every year. Information about the Historical Commission grant program can be found at www.visitmonmouth.com
For information about the county’s Historical Commission, contact the Hall of Records, Room #201, Freehold, NJ 07728, call (732) 431-7413, or visit the County of Monmouth Web site at www.visitmonmouth.com.
The 2008 Preservation Grant recipients are:
Atlantic Highlands Historical Society - Phase 3 Porch restoration, $4,000.00
Avon Borough – Pavilion doors restoration, $1,700.00
Belmar Historical Council – World War II Monument Restoration, $1,063.00
Colts Neck Twp. Preservation Committee – School blackboard restoration, $1,500.00
Farmingdale – William Goodenough House roof , $4,800.00
Freehold – First Baptist Church, stained glass window restoration, $4,000.00
Freehold – Historical Association, museum exterior restoration, $5,000.00
Holmdel Historical Society – Dr. Cook’s office restoration, $1,500.00
Holmdel – Van Mater Farm, barn restoration, $5,000.00
Long Branch – Church of Presidents, south porch restoration, $5,000.00
Long Branch – Elberon Memorial Church, stained glass restoration, $5,000.00
Manalapan – Old Tennent Church exterior preservation project, $5,000.00
Manasquan – Boat room Doors, $5,000.00
Middletown – Monmouth Hills, Inc. – Clubhouse Widow’s Walk, $5,000.00
Middletown – MacLeod-Rice porch roof, $2,800.00
Middletown – American Littoral Society Building 18 porch railing, $2,900.00
Neptune – Ocean Grove Historic Preservation Society exterior brickwork, $5,000.00
Ocean Township – Eden Woolley House, interior, $5,000.00
Red Bank – Century House exterior preservation, $2,900.00
Rumson – Junior League Headquarters tin repair, $5,000.00
Shrewsbury – Religious Society of Friends, windows & doors, $5,000.00
Shrewsbury – Christ Church stained glass work, $5,000.00
Tinton Falls – Crawford House, windows, $4,798.00
Wall – Info Age Learning Center, Marconi Power Station Repair, 2,789.00
Wall – Old Wall Historical Society, Allgor-Barkalow chimney, $3,250.00
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