As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, a new regional subgrant program designed to help preserve historic properties in Central Massachusetts is being launched.
The Central Massachusetts Heritage Circuit Subgrant Program will make up to $616,000 available for activities including planning, design, and construction for properties listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, according to a press release issued by the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission on Jan. 27.
Worcester-based CMRPC is administrating the program, in partnership with the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission in Leominster. The grant is funded by the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service.
CMRPC’s area covers the lower two-thirds of Worcester County, while MRPC covers the remaining northern third, as well as the Middlesex County communities of Ashby, Ayer, Groton, Townsend, and Shirley, according to both organizations’ websites. Funds will be focused on historical commercial districts, civic buildings, and other historically-significant properties.
“This program is designed to help communities address real preservation needs while keeping historic buildings in active use,” CMRPC Executive Director Janet Pierce said in the press release. “By combining federal investment with regional planning and preservation expertise, we are supporting projects that will deliver lasting public benefit.”
Montachusett Enterprise Center, the nonprofit wing of MRPC, is serving as the fiscal sponsor of the federal award. The total amount of the grant is $750,000, with $134,000 going toward technical assistance and other grant-related expenses, Dominique DuTremble, CMPRC director, community & regional planning wrote in an email to WBJ.
Work funded by the grants must meet standards established by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior for the treatment of historic properties.
The grant program is one of just 14 nationwide, DuTremble wrote. Applications are expected to open in August, with a September deadline. Additional information will be released later this year.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
