Utica, NY – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today visited the Stanley Theater in Utica to announce her successful bipartisan push to include $88.91 million in the Fiscal Year 2019 Senate Interior Appropriations bill for the Department of Interior’s Historic Preservation Fund. This funding amount is $56.2 million more than President Trump’s budget request for the program.
The Historic Preservation Fund supports historic preservation and economic development projects around the state, including in Utica. The Stanley Theater is a treasure of the Mohawk Valley and has already received more than $4 million in federal historic tax credit investment for $20.2 million in renovations. Across the Mohawk Valley, the Historic Preservation Fund has made possible more than $19 million dollars in federal investments for historic building renovation projects.
“Federal funding for rebuilding historic structures has helped reopen and revitalize several historic sites in the Mohawk Valley, including the historic Stanley Theater,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I was proud to lead the Senate’s bipartisan effort to support the federal Historic Preservation Fund. When the Trump Administration’s budget request for this important program was millions of dollars lower than it had been before, I led a bipartisan push with my colleagues to keep this critical funding in place, and ended up securing $56 million more than what the President requested. This is great news for New York because this federal funding will help revitalize downtowns and main streets all over our state. I will always do everything I can in the Senate to help our communities thrive.”
“The Historic Preservation Fund has significantly helped efforts to revitalize cultural gems like The Stanley Theater in the Mohawk Valley and across New York State. When you look at the success of so many of these projects, it is clear preserving our communities’ culture and history is an investment well worth making. Thanks to Senator Gillibrand for her very important efforts to boost federal funding for historic preservation projects,” said Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi of Utica.
“Investing in historic preservation is vital to economic development and the revitalization of our communities. I commend Senator Gillibrand for leading a bipartisan effort in restoring this necessary funding and for her proactive leadership on this important issue,” said Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri.
Federal funding for historic districts and investment in historic sites encourages and supports economic development that is critically important to the preservation and revitalization of communities throughout New York. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 requires all states to have a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to preserve historic sites in the United States. SHPOs have an annual funding agreement with the National Park Service that requires a non-federal matching share equal to at least 40 percent of the federal allocation. After 10 percent of the federal share is reserved for grants to participating communities, which includes Newburgh, funding is allocated for administration of programs required by federal statute. These programs include historic resource survey work, the National Register Program administration, compliance review of federally funded and permitted projects, federal historic tax credit program implementation, and the Certified Local Government program.
Other projects in the Mohawk Valley that have received this critical federal funding include the following:
- Utica, NY – $2.5 million in federal historic tax credit investment was awarded for the renovation of the Doyle Hardware Building as part of the revitalization of Utica’s Bagg’s Square.
- Sharon Springs, NY – $70,000 in federal historic tax credit investment was awarded for the renovation and the re-opening of the historic American Hotel.
- Gloversville, NY – More than $1.2 million in federal historic tax credit investment was used to make available safe, affordable housing in the Kingsborough Apartments.
In April, Gillibrand led a bipartisan letter calling on Senate Appropriators to provide $110.5 million in funding for the federal Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) for Fiscal Year 2019. This request rejected President Trump’s proposed cut of over $64 million in funding for this important program. The bipartisan letter was also signed by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Gary Peters (D-MI), Edward Markey (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-WI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Doug Jones (D-AL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Bob Casey (D-PA).
The full text of the letter is available here and below:
April 27, 2018
The Honorable Lisa Murkowski
Chairman
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on
Interior, Environment and
Related Agencies
131 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Tom Udall
Ranking Member
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on
Interior, Environment and
Related Agencies
101 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Chairman Murkowski and Ranking Member Udall:
We write requesting that you support economic development, job creation, and our national heritage by appropriating $110.5 million in funding for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) for Fiscal Year 2019 (FY2019). Of the total request, $55 million is for State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs), $15 million is for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPOs), $500,000 is for grants to underserved communities, and $15 million is for the Save America’s Treasures grant program. This request also includes $5 million is for preservation grants to revitalize historic properties of national, State, and local significance, $15 million for the Civil Rights competitive grants initiative and $5 million for competitive grants for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
SHPOs and THPOs tie our nation’s historic preservation programs together. SHPOs carry out the National Historic Preservation Act, which provides citizens the tools they need to revitalize, rehabilitate, and protect American heritage. Annually, SHPOs also review more than 100,000 federal undertakings for their impact on historic resources and survey more than 16.5 million acres for cultural resources. SHPOs also administer the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit which, over the life of the program, has created more than 2.4 million jobs and leveraged more than $131 billion in private investment.
THPOs carry out many of the same functions as SHPOs for tribal governments. Just as the SHPOs review federal undertakings on state lands, the THPOs review federal undertakings on tribal government lands. There were only 12 THPOs when they first received funding in 1996. Today, there nearly 190 THPOs and funding has not kept pace with the growing number of THPOs; in FY2017, 180 tribes received an average of $58,000 in funding, more than $20,000 fewer than when the program first started.
Additionally, we support $15 million for competitive grants to fund the continuation of a Civil Rights initiative that preserves, documents, and interprets the sites and stories of the Civil Rights movement and the African-American experience, and $15 million for the Save America’s Treasure competitive grant program.
Funding these historic preservation programs is vital for ensuring that the unvarnished story of America is told. It is an investment in towns and cities throughout the country that benefit from tourists visiting historic sites and the public and private investment in restoring historic buildings. This funding is both an economic and historical imperative that creates construction jobs and protects historic resources that might otherwise be lost forever.
If you need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact our staff.
Sincerely,
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