HomeMy WebLinkAboutResponse to Commission Questions from 2.17Bob,
Thanks for the update while traveling! Good luck with the cleanup! I did watch the February
meeting. I have some brief replies to some of the questions raised during the meeting.
(Sorry in advance if this is long winded, and I am sure you are well informed on these
replies!)
1. Is EMKI a non profit organization? Yes. The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United
States Senate is a non-profit civic engagement and educational institution on Columbia
Point in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, next to the John F.
Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum on the University of Massachusetts Boston
campus. https://emkinstitute.org/about-the-institute/
2. Who will use the house? EMKI is the owner of 50 Marchant Ave, previously owned by
Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Ambassador Victoria Reggie Kennedy, and so on. Besides
providing civics education at the Institute, EMKI maintains the historical landmark. It is not
a vacation house for members of Congress. The funding is not to support tours, but to
preserve the house. Accessibility of the house is a priority of EMKI, and it would be
fantastic if the house was in better condition for the public. Tours are under development
slated for the early summer, but are not directly tied to the applications. In regards to the
2012 Politico article, the house is used for charitable uses. In the past, various Senators
and school groups have used the house for "hyannis port summits" where individuals have
used the house for meaningful bipartisan discourse. It was not included or referenced in
our request for a letter of support as that article is about 14 years old now.
3. Who is funding these efforts? Both these applications, which I am happy to provide, will
not be funded by the town of Barnstable as they are state and federal applications.
(Respectively). They are attached to this email here.
Mass Preservation Fund:
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/mhc/grants/mppf.htm (Funding to preserve the
tennis court & historic landscaping that has been heavily worn)
Earmark: https://appropriations.house.gov/fy25-community-project-funding (from 2025
but a brief description of Community Project Funding, will cover the 3 year and part of the
10 year preservation plan I provided)
4. Why do we need the funds? As a historical landmark, it would be great to receive funding
from the state and federal government to continue and preserve the house, especially
since it is well over 120 years old. As you know, there are various ways to do this, such as
the MHC and CPF requests, which EMKI is doing. The tennis court, surrounding landscape,
and many internal parts of the house need work as the house ages. Besides preserving its
historical character, it would be fantastic for the house to continue and look beautiful for
the public.
5. Why do we need letters? Letters of support for the public and local historical
commissions are strongly recommended for applications. If the BHC would like to read
these, I am happy to provide. Some notable local supporters are the entire Cape & Islands
legislative delegation, the JFK Hyannis Museum, etc. (Attached here for reference).
The Mass Preservation fund requires all applicants to reach out to their local historic
commission, specifically the one that has jurisdiction over said project. While a
requirement, we are allowed to simply provide evidence that we reached out to
said commission. This fund will repair the tennis court located at the house, in order for it
to be potentially used for public events, and obviously preserve a portion of the property.
The earmark, if awarded, would fund preservation efforts at the house. If it is okay with you,
I can also just print out part of our email conversation where I request a letter. This would
suffice as an effort to request a letter of support from the local historical commission.
Unfortunately, the application is due March 13th for the Mass Pres application. If my
schedule allows, I would be happy to try and clarify some of these questions at a meeting,
though the first application will be submitted by then. We have been closely working with
Senator Warren's team for our earmark submission, which will be submitted by April 3rd. If
I am unable to make the meeting, you are welcome to read my replies, if you decide you
would like to revisit. Sorry again for this long email and taking up more of your time!
It was good to hear from you again,
Liam