Representative Keenan Moderates Popular
SALEM – Last night Representative John Keenan moderated the third in his on-going series of public forums on major public policy issues. The topic for the forum was historic preservation. It was held at the historic Salem Athenaeum on Essex Street, which was filled to capacity by a crowd of about fifty people who came to hear the various panelists speak on historic preservation and to pose their own questions and comments. The panel discussion opened with Representative Keenan highlighting a number of recent legislative actions that would support historic preservation efforts in Salem – including the House passage of an increased cap for the historic preservation tax credit and a new Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund. John Goff, of Salem Preservation Inc., then spoke on Salem’s proud history of preservation efforts and offered a call for action on important historic preservation projects that are also important to Salem’s future, including the responsible development of the Old Salem Jail and the completion of the courthouse project. Following Goff, Barbara Cleary of Historic Salem Inc. discussed some of Salem’s most endangered historic properties and what actions could be taken to preserve them. Of utmost importance, Cleary emphasized, was the need for state, local, and nonprofit leaders to work together in a common effort and an open process in order to preserve endangered properties. Douglas Kelleher from PreservatiON MASS and Dr. Michael Steinitz from the Massachusetts Historical Commission spoke next, each offering their own views as to how nonprofits and the Commonwealth’s historic preservation agency, respectively, work to preserve historic properties and structures. Two city officials then closed out the panel presentations. Hannah Diozzi, chair of the Salem Historic Commission, briefly discussed important city programs and regulations of relevance to historic homeowners in Salem. Finally, Salem City Planner Lynn Duncan offered some thoughts on the unique challenges and opportunities that face city planners and municipal officials in a community with as many historically important buildings and sites as Salem. “This panel was a tremendous success,” observed Representative Keenan, “I hold these regular roundtables to help promote a public dialogue on major issues that we are collectively facing, as a city and as a Commonwealth. Clearly the concern for the preservation and protection of our many historic treasures in this community is very high. Despite our many accomplishments on this front, there is still much to be done. Two of my proudest moments as City Solicitor were saving the historic home at 18 Crombie Street and the Old Jailer’s House from the wrecking ball. It’s wonderful to see those sites getting a new life, but there’s still a lot of work ahead of us on many other projects. Through public debate and discussion, such as what occurred last night at the Athenaeum, we can galvanize support and attention for these important issues.”
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