We are pleased to announce that, despite the gloomy economy, we are alive and doing very well. In the past few weeks we have learned that all of the grants we applied for were funded, most to the full amount of the application. This speaks well for our reputation with local, state and federal agencies for completing assignments in a timely (and impressive) manner.

Here’s what we have going on for the next twelve months:

One of Stamford’s many historic barns (see item 5 below)

1) Beginning May 1st, we became eligible for $23,000 in matching funds from the Historic Preservation Division of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Known as a Basic Operating Services Grant (BOSG), this money is intended to allow us to increase our organizational capacity, hire staff and provide additional services to the community (including this Web site). The BOSG requires us to match the state’s contribution dollar for dollar; fortunately, we are well on our way to achieving that goal.

2) Much of our match money will come from a grant of $17,200 from the Stamford Community Development Program, a major source of funding over the years. To earn that sum, we will provide consulting services to the SCDP and participate in the federal environmental review process. This grant also funds our popular newsletter, the Historic Neighborhood News, and will now help us establish a Web site.

3) The HNPP currently has a contract for up to $9,200 with Stamford’s Land Use Department to help it review applications for Historic Density Bonuses, Section 7.3 of Stamford’s Zoning Regulations. Unfortunately, unless the real estate market improves, there may not be enough work to earn this allocation.

4) Stamford’s Urban Redevelopment Commission has allocated $4,000 to the HNPP to allow Colin Skidmore to continue preparing the URC’s archive of over 5,000 photos of buildings demolished during urban renewal in the 1960s for publication on this and other Web sites.

5) We recently learned that we were awarded a $3,000 grant by the city of Stamford under the Community Arts Partnership Program (CAPP). This money is to go toward a photo exhibit entitled “The Photogenic Barn”, which will document Stamford’s remaining historic barns. After Colin Skidmore pinpoints the locations of these structures, a team of fifteen local photographers will set out to record them for an exhibit to be held in the Mayor’s Gallery at the Stamford Government Center during March and April of 2010.

6) An additional sum of $14,000 has been allocated by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism to expand the present Old Long Ridge Village Historic District. The expanded district will then become the basis for a boundary increase for the local historic district, a designation that actually protects the historic character of the buildings within its jurisdiction. Nils Kerschus, a professional researcher, has been hired to prepare the extensive paperwork.

7) And last, but not least—we’re giving a party! Although the Historic Neighborhood Preservation Program is not a “membership” organization, it does keep a list of donors. Every year or so, we thank these thoughtful and generous people by inviting them to a private reception held in a significant historic house—the kind one’s always been curious to see. This year, our “thank-you” will be an afternoon tea held in the fall at a newly-restored hunting lodge in North Stamford. This “not-to-be missed” event is by invitation only, so check the donation form on the Contact page of our Web site and join us in celebrating a productive year!