Everything Westport - Letters support Handy house acquisition

Letters support handy House acquisition by Westport Historical Society

EverythingWestport.com

Friday, December 04, 2010

In defense of things that make Westport special

By Warren Messier, chairman of the Westport Community Preservation Committee.

November 21, 2010

The provisions of the Community Preservation Act were accepted by Westport Town Meeting in 2001 and approved by ballot vote at the 2002 annual election. The Community Preservation Committee, set up by this legislation, has since recommended projects to Town Meeting.

This essay is intended to provide a better understanding of CPA's mission, sources of funding and successes in leveraging CPA funds to benefit the town.

Bang for the buck

CPA provides "seed money." As of 2009, state matching funds, other state, federal and private grants, and individual contributions provided 75 percent of the cost of CPA projects in Westport, or three times the town's CPC cash contributions. Inclusion of volunteer and pro bono work — thousands of hours worth thousands of dollars — would make that percentage much higher.

The CPA state match is only one source of funds. There are many other possibilities when CPA provides the "seed" money. For example, the town's share of $47,500 towards the dredging of the Westport River attracted over $1 million from other sources.

Where funds come from and where they go

A 2 percent surcharge on the assessed tax bill provides the town's contribution to the CPA funds. In 2009 this amounted to less than $49 for the average property owner in Westport. The tax bill on an average property value of $441,584 comes to $2,446. Two percent of that is $48.90 per year.

The 2 percent surcharge does not add to the tax base. It does not raise the base for the 2.5 percent possible increase each year in total tax assessment. It is not an override.

The CPA provides the legal basis for allowing this special mechanism. Such a mechanism only exists where Town Meeting has voted to adopt CPA.

The state "matches" the funds provided through the surcharge. In the first few years the CPA state match was 100 percent, but dropped to 38 percent in the recession, and will be lower this year, possibly 28 percent, which is still an excellent return.

The source of CPA state matching funds is the document recording fee collected at the registries of deeds, which has been subject to the vagaries of the real estate market.

The state cannot take the funds away.

The town cannot use funds from the surcharge or from the state match as income for the town budget.

Local control of use of funds

The Community Preservation Committee is an appointed body of Westport residents who review project proposals, hold public meetings and make recommendations to Town Meeting. There are three at-large members and six who represent town boards and committees selected by those boards and committees. At present there are two elected officials among those serving.

Community preservation money can only be used for CPA eligible projects as approved at Town Meeting. Projects are selected by and for Westporters.

CPA supports projects which the town could not otherwise fund, especially in these hard economic times.

Westport has the opportunity to determine its priorities, plan for its future, and have the funds to make those plans happen.

CPA builds and strengthens community

CPA inspires and enables local projects in open space and farm preservation, historic preservation, recreation and community affordable housing.

CPA energizes people to work together and do good work for their community.

CPA inspires volunteerism, an absolutely necessary resource for towns like Westport with limited financial resources.

Community housing projects can help Westporters stay in Westport.

Preservation of cultural, historic and natural resources

CPA provides a steady funding source for preserving and improving a community's quality of life and character. It can give a community the funds needed to control its future.

The preservation of open space and farms protects the rural character of Westport.

Helping landowners preserve open space rather than falling to development pressure serves to protect our vanishing landscape, the most expressive element of our seaside New England community.

Preserving our history maintains the thread that links generations and strengthens our community.

Senate Bill 90, "An Act to Sustain Community Preservation"

Senate Bill 90 has received favorable recommendation from the Ways and Means Committee and will be voted on early in 2011. When it passes, the state match to the locally raised surcharge will be guaranteed at a 75 percent minimum.

This bill would increase the allowable uses for CPA funds: Communities could rehabilitate existing outdoor parks and other recreational resources.

If you have further questions, please consult the Community Preservation Committee at the town of Westport website at http://www.westport-ma.com/cpc/index.html or attend a meeting, usually held on the second Thursday of each month.

Westport voters should support the Handy house

By Albert (Al) Lees III, President Lees Supermarket, Westport

November 22, 2010

It is my privilege to write this letter in support of the acquisition of the Cadman-White-Handy House by the Westport Historical Society. After a lengthy period of meticulous inquiry into the viability of this house as the potential headquarters for the Westport Historical Society, the purchase of this historically significant home and property is on the verge of becoming a reality.

Endorsed by the Community Preservation Committee and supported by countless private individuals, the “Handy House” will, hopefully, soon become an invaluable resource for us all. All that remains is for Westport’s Special Town Meeting to approve the use of CPC funds for the acquisition and preservation of the property. I urge those of you who plan on attending this meeting on Dec. 7 to vote in the affirmative.

Numerous articles and public discussions have articulated better than I the importance of the Handy House as a metaphorical lens through which Westport’s past can more substantially be appreciated. By increasing and enhancing the society’s exhibition and interpretive space, visitors in general, and Westporters in particular, will have the opportunity to experience their history in new and exciting ways.

In addition, and by far no less important, is the ways in which this new/old space can serve as a place to honor our past while simultaneously allowing this past to inform us, and future generations about our future. No generation exists in a vacuum, rather we are participants in a continual flow of time. Every generation has had to deal with difficult decisions and circumstances, and ours is no exception.

Tight fiscal budgets and competing demands for scarce resources could easily force us take a short term view of projects like this. Though completely understandable, it is my hope that if one agrees in the importance of place-based education and lifetime learning, there is currently no better way to invest our money than for the purchase of the Cadman-White-Handy House.

I hope that you will join me in support of this vital and significant project.

Retired doctor supports Handy House purchase

Stewart Kirkaldy, M.D. of Middlebury, VT

Former Westport Selectman

September 01, 2010

I was moved and excited to hear about the interest in acquiring Handy House and putting it to use in a way that will so benefit and educate the town and community of Westport, as well as interested visitors. It is difficult to envision a more appropriate use for such a historic landmark or a better tribute to those who have lived there— from Dr. Handy to Eleanor Tripp.

In the 50 years since I moved to Westport, it was always evident to me that a certain mystique surrounds that house. It is now more than 200 years since Dr. Handy had his medical practice there, taking care of, among others, Paul Cuffe— probably Westport's most famous citizen. That the house was almost certainly a part of the Underground Railroad only enhances its value. At that time, the mid-19th century, Massachusetts was a strongly abolitionist state and it is very likely that Handy House was part of that escape route.

Once in Eleanor Tripp's later years, I made a house call there (accompanied by a medical student preceptee), and Eleanor showed us the basement area where she felt strongly that fugitive slaves were hidden on their way to freedom in Canada. (Incidentally, that student was impressed by Eleanor's graciousness and hospitality. She is now in practice with Kathleen Hood, M.D. at my old home at 793 Main Road.)

I have known Eleanor Tripp as a fellow Quaker since early 1961, and later as a patient. She was very dedicated to the preservation of Handy House, and interested both in its history and that of Westport. I am sure she would be delighted and strongly supportive of the Friends of Handy House plans, as am I.

Yours sincerely,

WHS Director seeks Westport voters support

Jenny O'neill, Director Westport Historical Society

November 21, 2010

I challenge anyone to drive by the historic Handy House (202 Hix Bridge Road) without gaining a sense of its intrinsic value as an educational tool, a doorway to a past world and a landmark that should be shared and open to all for generations to come. It is an asset that will accrue over many hundreds of years from which the community will reap dividends of quality of life, pride, sense of place, ownership and celebration of communal heritage.

At Town Meeting on Dec. 7, Westport voters will have the chance to invest in the future of their town’s most significant historic asset, the Cadman-White-Handy House, located at the intersection of Drift and Hix Bridge roads.

To enter the Handy House, constructed some 17 years before the birth of George Washington, is to step into the past: A world in which Dr. Eli Handy, who lived in the house 1794 to 1812, delivered babies for $3, treated broken legs for $2, pulled teeth for 18 cents, and made house calls for 50 cents. (His accounts are in the collection of the Westport Historical Society.)

It is a place that resonates with the realities of pre-industrial life, when innovation was a smoke chamber in the chimney to cure meat, and when the comforts of life included a backyard well sweep, which is still there today.

The effort to preserve the Handy House — for the benefit of the entire community — is spearheaded by the Westport Historical Society. The Westport Community Preservation Committee has unanimously recommended that Town Meeting approve funding for the acquisition and preservation of the property.

The Historical Society envisions that the site will become a place in which the many perspectives of local history can be presented and explored. What benefits might the community reap in return for investing existing CPA funds in this project? What is the connection between historic preservation and community well being?

The value of this project is its contribution to “quality of life.” The dividends of the preservation and revitalized use of the Handy House will be:
— A stronger sense of place: The Handy House is a tangible and authentic artifact. Its preservation will help to protect the unique character of Westport, much of which is derived from a blending of rural and maritime heritage.
— An enduring sense of communal memory: In many ways historic buildings such as the Handy House embody and express the memory that makes Westport a special place. As a museum it will become a multi-generational “classroom” that will inspire discourse between generations (as simple as a grandparent pointing out to a grandchild, “this is how things used to be”).
— A clearer sense of identity: The Handy House will be a place where town residents and visitors can discover the unique heritage of this region and reflect upon their own personal history.
— A town-wide sense of ownership: The Handy House will be open and accessible to everyone. It will have relevance to many different groups in the community from young children to senior citizens.

Our goal is not only to preserve the house, but to protect the historic landscape in which it sits, a total of 32 acres. A gift of 8 acres that abut the landfill will be made to the town to protect it from potential liability relating to the capped landfill.

All of the above are key elements in what one could define as a healthy sense of community. As home to town physicians, Eli Handy and James Handy, the Handy House has been at the center of Westport’s well being. It has a chance once again to contribute to the health of our community in a new role. I think that everyone can agree that this is an incredible return on any investment.

Local Westport historian throws his hat in the ring for support of the Handy house

Carlton “Cukie” Macomber, Westport

November 27, 21010

I have always had an interest in historical antiques. In 1989, I thought about all the Westport historical items that are gone and decided to write about such things. I was a volunteer fireman and it pained me to see our 1932 Mack fire truck reduced to junk for a lack of care.

The Dottie Curtis house has been almost completely destroyed by someone who cares not at all for Westport history. So at Town Meeting, let’s all vote CPC money to save the Handy House. The money is available, so let’s use it. Please vote yes to save one of the most historical houses in Westport.

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