Maryland Historical Trust Preservation, Survey, and Museum Funding Needs
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Maryland Historical Trust Preservation, Survey, and Museum Funding Needs Report to the Chairmen of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and House Appropriations Committee October 15, 2016 Photo: Historic Sotterley Historic Photo: Photo: Frederick Historic Sites Consortium Sites Historic Frederick Photo: Ridgley Rosenwald School Sotterley Plantation Catoctin Furnace Prince George’s County St. Mary’s County Frederick County Table of Contents Executive Summary 5 In my travels around the state I am About this Report 6 always impressed by the incredible work our local preservationists, muse- Background: MHT’s Grant Programs 7 ums and municipalities are accomplish- Non-Capital Historic Preservation Grant 8 ing to protect, promote and save their Program: Survey, Planning, and Education history and heritage. But my attention Capital Historic Preservation Grant Program: 26 is also drawn to the places we aren’t Bricks-and-Mortar Restoration and Rehabilitation saving or have lost. The number one question our organization receives is Museum Assistance Grant Programs: 35 Operations, Programs, and Projects where to find the necessary funding to help preserve important places. Un- Experience of Neighboring States 46 fortunately, the current answer is that Recommendations 48 there are very few sources and it’s our hope that we can work collaboratively with our state partners to change that and make Maryland a model once again for historic preservation. -Nicholas Redding, Executive Director, Preservation Maryland Table of Contents 3 4 Executive Summary Historic preservation puts the power of his- land General Assembly, the Chairmen of the • Exploring diversification of funding streams tory to work, prompting communities to Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and for the MHT Grant Fund; identify what is important to them and to use House Appropriations Committee directed these sites and stories to enrich people’s lives MHT to work with partners to evaluate the • Prioritizing funding for threatened today. State government plays an invaluable state of its historic preservation and museum resources; role in preserving our state’s history and our grant programs. The following report ad- collective sense of place. Through our partner- dresses specific issues identified by legislators • Supporting State Agency and local commu- ships with local communities, the Maryland including need and demand for this type of nity research and survey needs; and Historical Trust (MHT), Maryland’s State State support, funding options, staff capacity Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), assists to administer these programs, and the experi- • Leveraging partnerships with affinity orga- with the identification, protection, and re-use ence of other states. nizations to streamline the delivery of State of those sites that represent the many people, funding. places, and events that have shaped our state As this report demonstrates, the unmet needs identity. of the state’s historic preservation and history museum community are substantial. Threats For many years, Maryland was a national to our tangible and intangible cultural heri- leader in providing support for the preserva- tage continue to grow. State and federal tion and interpretation of our irreplaceable sources of funding for cultural resource pres- heritage. Historic preservation and history ervation have all but disappeared, leaving our museum assistance programs were supported local government and private sector partners by the MHT Grant Fund, a continuing, non- with few options. lapsing special fund authorized under State Finance and Procurement Article §5A-328 of The findings of this report are clear - our local the Annotated Code of Maryland. Despite partners can’t do it alone. Recommendations demonstrated demand for these programs, for how we can help Marylanders to identify appropriations to the MHT Grant Fund were and protect our shared heritage include: suspended beginning in fiscal year 2012. • Restoring funding to the MHT Grant Fund At the close of the 2016 session of the Mary- as soon as possible; Executive Summary 5 About this Report The Report on the Fiscal 2017 State Operating • Coalition of Maryland Heritage Areas through our partners’ distribution lists to so- Budget (SB190) and the State Capital Budget • Council for Maryland Archeology licit feedback more broadly, with excellent (SB 191) and Related Recommendations by the • Main Street Maryland Program results. Observations gathered from survey Chairmen of the Senate Budget and Taxa- • Maryland Advisory Committee on respondents, both quantitative and anecdotal, tion Committee and House Appropriations Archeology are highlighted throughout this document. Committee (otherwise known as the Joint • Maryland Association of Historic District Outreach to SHPOs across the country yield- Chairmen’s Report, or JCR) requested that Commissions ed information on funding programs nation- the Maryland Department of Planning work • Maryland Commission on African wide and provided both alternative models with the Department of Budget and Manage- American History and Culture and a context for understanding Maryland’s ment and preservation advocates to identify • Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs approach to historic preservation and muse- the need and demand for preservation, sur- • Maryland Department of Natural um funding. MHT presented a draft report vey, and museum (operating and capital) Resources to partners in early August and held telecon- grant funding and future plans to address • Maryland Department of Housing ferences to review the findings. The draft these statewide needs. The report was to also and Community Development report was adjusted based on these conversa- address potential innovative funding options • Maryland Humanities tions and the final document was prepared for available, the experience of nearby states, and • Maryland Museums Association submission to the General Assembly. the staff capacity necessary to administer these • Maryland State Arts Council programs. • Preservation Maryland The success of MHT’s programs and projects • Small Museum Association has always relied on a broad base of support, In response, the Maryland Historical Trust both on the statewide level and within local (MHT), a division of the Maryland Depart- Representatives of these statewide histori- communities. Our partners’ input and in- ment of Planning and Maryland’s State His- cal and cultural organizations were invited volvement in the development of this report toric Preservation Office (SHPO) for the pur- to meet in May 2016 at the MHT offices in attests to the continued strength of that net- poses of the National Historic Preservation Crownsville, Maryland to discuss funding work and the incredible need that remains Act, convened a working group comprised of needs, growing threats to Maryland’s his- unfulfilled. the Department of Budget and Management toric and cultural resources, and opportuni- and representatives from the following orga- ties to reimagine State support for sites and nization to collaboratively address preserva- landmarks. Based on their input, MHT staff tion and museum funding issues. developed an online survey instrument that • The Archeological Society of Maryland was sent directly to MHT stakeholders and 6 About this Report Background: MHT’s Grant Programs Thanks to widespread support for historic Historical and Cultural Museum Assistance State funds were vital in making Mary- preservation both in local communities and Program (Museum Assistance Program). among elected officials, the Maryland His- land the national leader in protecting torical Trust has offered grant funding since Despite demonstrated need, appropria- America’s heritage. If these funds were FY1978, beginning with grants for bricks- tions for the Grant Fund were suspended by and-mortar preservation activities. Over the FY2012. MHT does still offer capital grants re-instated, they would provide essen- years, the MHT Grant Fund expanded be- through the African American Heritage Pres- tial support for historic and archaeo- yond physical preservation and grew to en- ervation Program (AAHPP) and supports compass a broad range of projects including heritage tourism projects within areas desig- logical sites, places, and museums that survey and documentation of historic proper- nated under the Maryland Heritage Areas Au- currently do not have any source of ties, preservation and disaster planning, Na- thority (MHAA). However, both programs tional Register nominations, and support for are extremely competitive, and many projects funds to expand preservation efforts history and heritage museums. Demand for which would have been eligible for grants throughout the entire State. Research these programs consistently and overwhelm- from MHT’s Grant Fund are simply not eli- ingly exceeded the availability of funds. gible for these programs. and survey of our lost and hidden past once benefited from State support. Re- Today, the MHT Grant Fund is a continuing, non-lapsing special fund authorized under investment in the full array of pres- State Finance and Procurement Article §5A- ervation funding for all of Maryland’s 328, Annotated Code of Maryland, primar- ily consisting of money appropriated to the history and heritage is incumbent on MHT Grant Program (Historic Preservation our decision-makers. Grant Program) or the Historical and Cultur- al Museum Assistance Program. MHT uti- -Donna Ware, lizes the Grant Fund for the Historic Preserva- Senior Vice President, tion Grant