New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program Annual Report. First Parish Church, Derry

Transcription

1 New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program Annual Report First Parish Church, Derry Fiscal Year 2016

2 Land and Community Heritage Investment Program 13 West Street, Suite 3 Concord, NH (603) fax (603) December 2016 Dear Governor Hassan, Governor-elect Sununu, Senate President Morse, Speaker of the House Jasper, members and members-elect of the Executive Council and State Librarian York, We are pleased to provide you with this Land and Community Heritage investment Program Annual Report, as required in RSA 227-M:5. LCHIP successfully meets its legislatively mandated mission to provide matching grants that help New Hampshire communities and non-profits protect and preserve the state s most important natural, cultural and historic resources. LCHIP continues to be a highly popular and significant source of state funding for conserving natural resources and protecting historic resources. The ongoing interest in the grants is reflected in the 40 applications that were submitted in FY 2016, seeking $5.1 million. With $3.5 million budgeted for grants, LCHIP depends on its careful, multi-tiered selection process to identify the grant recipients. As you will see later in this report, the Board of Directors selected 32 projects to receive grants, only 24 of which received awards for the entire amount requested. In communicating with her legislators about a proposed bill, an LCHIP project activist explained why LCHIP is important to her small rural community: Hard-pressed rural communities cannot conserve special places by themselves. LCHIP is what spurs and drives private fundraising in our region, among individual donors and businesses. LCHIP s endorsement of local initiatives to conserve properties of statewide significance encourages private donors to invest. The LCHIP Board of Directors works hard to make the best possible grant decisions. New in FY 2016, board members joined staff on visits to applicant sites, broadening and deepening their understanding of the applicant projects before making decisions. The LCHIP Board Members are appointed by the Governor and Council. Board members appreciate this opportunity to serve and learn about so many interesting projects all around the state. Board members and staff are grateful for the support of the political leaders who make LCHIP s work possible. Sincerely, Douglas S. Cole Chair of Board of Directors Dijit Taylor Executive Director Wingate Farm, Winchester

3 LCHIP s Achievements In the sixteen years since its creation, LCHIP has been remarkably successful at achieving the popular goal set in its enabling legislations: To conserve and preserve the state s most important natural, cultural, and historic resources through public-private partnerships so that they can continue to contribute to the state s economy, environment, and overall quality of life. Since its first grant round in 2001, the program has provided 372 grants which have helped to preserve nearly 200 historic structures and sites and to conserve more than 278,000 acres of land for food production, water quality, ecological values, timber management and recreation including hunting and fishing. Thirty-nine million dollars of state money have been matched by $244 million in funds from other sources. Grants have been awarded in all parts of the state, from Pittsburg in the far north to Nashua in the south, from Hinsdale in the west to Star Island in the east, and in 149 of New Hampshire s 234 communities. LCHIP s website ( was revamped in 2016 and now provides an accessible list of all LCHIP projects, in both map view and list format by municipality, as well as improved information about the application and project completion processes. LCHIP requires grant recipients to meet high standards of land conservation and historic preservation. Historic preservation projects must meet the Secretary of the Interior s Standard for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Land conservation projects must be monitored annually following the standards of the national Land Trust Alliance. LCHIP s 2015 grant is helping to preserve the Jackson House in Portsmouth, the oldest frame house in New Hampshire Historic New England photo LCHIP grants in helped to conserve Greenough Ponds, Wentworth s Location, home of a rare population of wild trout. Beth Potter photo Land and Community Heritage Investment Program page 1

4 Projects Awarded Grants in FY 2016 Vose Farm, Walpole Project Town Project Name Year Built Acres Protected Total Project Value Amount Awarded Acworth Acworth Horse Sheds 1820 $68,760 $34,000 Ashland Whitten Woods 414 $910,000 $50,000 Barrington Stonehouse Pond Forest 1,509 $3,049,500 $420,000 Berlin St. Kieran Community Center 1894 $504,065 $252,032 Danbury South Danbury Church 1867 $180,423 $80,000 Derry First Parish Church Tower 1769 $301,211 $125,000 Dunbarton Stone Farm 217 $344,708 $119,500 E. Kingston Monahan Farm 28 $468,905 $85,000 Enfield Smith Pond & Shaker Forest 995 $2,586,600 $325,000 Francestown Beehive Building 1846 $295,695 $90,000 Goffstown Black Brook Preserve 101 $249,576 $25,000 Hampton 1723 James House 1723 $81,980 $28,000 Hooksett Clay Pond 3* 70 $114,000 $10,000 Hooksett Hooksett Town Hall Windows 1828 $40,545 $19,000 Keene United Church of Christ Steeple 1828 $300,000 $70,000 Kensington Bodwell Farm 110 $565,283 $100,000 Lancaster Main Street Stewardship Project 1859 $77,500 $36,500 Lempster Miner Memorial Library 1845 $59,890 $29,945 Land and Community Heritage Investment Program page 2

5 Project Town Project Name Year Built Acres Protected Total Project Value Amount Awarded Lyndeborough Rose Mountain 189 $184,865 $42,500 Madbury Powder Major's Farm & Forest 227 $2,195,000 $380,000 Milan Milan Community Forest 1,349 $1,165,500 $190,000 Milton Milton Free Public Library $35,600 $16,020 Milton Plummer Homestead 1780 $100,000 $50,000 Moultonborough Castle in the Clouds $233,000 $80,000 Orford Mason Pond 149 $341,550 $92,500 Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church 1825 $17,100 $7,550 Portsmouth Richard Jackson House 1664 $248,366 $90,000 Portsmouth Wentworth-Gardner House $49,579 $24,090 Rye Star Island $287,750 $100,000 Stratham Lane Homestead 1807 $261,154 $100,000 Walpole Vose Farm 22 $229,000 $68,000 Windham Windham Presbyterian Church 1834 $40,730 $20,350 TOTAL 5,380 $15,587,835 $3,159,987 *Number after project name indicates that project has received more than one LCHIP grant Milton Library, Milton Wentworth-Gardner House, Portsmouth Land and Community Heritage Investment Program page 3

6 Projects Completed in FY 2016 LCHIP grant recipients are allowed up to 24 months from the date of the grant award to complete the project to LCHIP standards, 18 months for Natural Resource projects and 24 months for Historic Resource projects. Extensions may be granted if the project conditions warrant it. Typically, projects from several previous grant rounds close each year. Project Name Year Awarded Mt. Major, Phase Municipality Alton and Gilford Grant Amount Total Project Value Year Built Acres Protected $340,000 $1,254, Boscawen Library Revitalization 2013 Boscawen $16,475 $32, Tuck Library 2013 Concord $200,000 $1,304, Green Hills Preserve 2012 Green Hills Expansion 2013 Conway $295,000 $1,180, Lucy Family Conservation Easements 2014 Conway $75,000 $334, Black Brook Preserve Expansion 2015 Goffstown $25,000 $237, Historical Society Building 2014 Hancock $50,000 $275, Building No Harrisville $162,865 $428, Hinman Pond Hooksett $75,000 $334, Stone Arch Bridge 2013 Keene $15,000 $68, Belknap Mill 2013 Laconia $12,085 $26, Rose Mountain 2015 Lyndeborough $42,500 $179, Moose Mountain Speltz Addition 2014 Middleton $112,500 $367, Whittier Covered Bridge 2007 Ossipee $100,000 $1,023, Peterborough Town House 2014 Peterborough $10,000 $20, Robie Farm 2013 Piermont $175,000 $507, Moffatt-Ladd House Windows 2011 Portsmouth $60,000 $180, Thales-Yeaton House 2011 Portsmouth $20,000 $156, Temple Israel Portsmouth $5,000 $12, African Burying Ground 2013 Portsmouth $57,508 $1,200, Lane Tavern Exterior Restoration 2013 Sanbornton $5,750 $13, Wingate Farm 2013 Winchester and Hinsdale $29,841 $256, TOTAL $1,884,524 $9,393,378 3,038 Robie Farm, Piermont Land and Community Heritage Investment Program page 4

7 The LCHIP Trust Fund LCHIP s matching grant monies are derived from a $25 surcharge assessed on the recording of four types of documents (deeds, mortgages, mortgage discharges and plans) at the Registry of Deeds in each of the ten counties of the state. The surcharge was established under RSA 478:17-g in FY 2016 marks the third year during which the income from this source was allocated in full to LCHIP, and the first year in which the funds have been encumbered to LCHIP for the projects. As shown on the table below, income from the surcharges during FY 2016 was just over $3.9 million, exceeding the budgeted amount of $3.5 million. LCHIP was authorized to accept and expend the additional funds. LCHIP s enabling legislation, RSA 227-M, wisely requires stewardship of the LCHIP-assisted properties and created a fund and a funding source to ensure that the legal agreements protecting the LCHIPassisted properties are adhered to for the appropriate amount of time. Terms may be as brief as five years for modest historic preservation projects to as long as in perpetuity for all natural resource conservation projects and the largest historic preservation projects. Money for this stewardship is held in the Community Conservation Endowment (CCE), established under RSA 227-M: 12. Income from the CCE is used to make annual incentive payments to grant recipients who have submitted reports documenting that the resource is in good condition. Read more about this in the Stewardship section of this report. LCHIP Trust Fund FY 2016 Recording Fee Income Other income Project Grant & Stewardship Dispersal Interest Earned Transfer to Operational Budget Transfers to Community Conservation Endowment Balance Starting Balance $4,671,207 FY 15 Change $3,900,220 $60,200 ($2,630,436) $0 $0 ($82,225) Starting Balance Plus Income Total Trust Fund Expenditures $8,631,627 ($2,712,661) Balance $5,918,966 Grant and CCE Funds Encumbered for Committed Projects ($5,472,114) Total Unencumbered in Trust Fund at Close of Fiscal Year $446,852 Rose Mountain, Lyndeborough Land and Community Heritage Investment Program page 5

8 LCHIP Administrative Costs Fiscal Year 2015 The Conservation and Heritage License Plate Program (Moose Plates) provides up to $200,000 to LCHIP each year for administrative expenses, per RSA 261:97-b. The remainder of the administrative expenses is drawn from interest and an administrative reserve fund. The administrative expense figures below are based on the independent audit required under RSA 227-M:5. The audit has been completed and is scheduled to be reviewed by the LCHIP Board of Directors at their January 2017 meeting. When approved by the Board, the audit will be posted at Salaries and Benefits $ 224,114 Payroll Taxes $ 13,399 Rent/Utilities $ 16,100 Audit Fees $ 7,105 Bookkeeping Fees $ 5,800 Consultant Fees $ 4,643 Telephone/Internet $ 3,280 IT Support/Web Site Hosting $ 5,784 Insurance $ 3,060 Travel/Mileage $ 5,365 Office Equipment/Maintenance $ 4,537 Office Supplies $ 3,398 Meeting Expense $ 880 Postage $ 642 Dues, Subscriptions and Professional Development $ 350 Project Signage $ 3,302 Communication and Outreach $ 5,760 Other Expenses $ 631 Payroll Service Charges $ 1,844 Depreciation $ 1,437 TOTAL EXPENSES $ 311,431 Miner Memorial Library, Lempster Smith Pond/Shaker Forest, Enfield Land and Community Heritage Investment Program page 6

9 Stewardship of LCHIP-Assisted Properties Fiscal Year 2016 Clay Pond 3, Hooksett The state s investment in resources through LCHIP is substantial. To ensure that the protected resources are properly managed, LCHIP s enabling legislation wisely created a requirement and funding to support long term stewardship of properties protected with LCHIP assistance. An endowment fund, called the Community Conservation Endowment (CCE), holds money set aside to ensure that the properties are maintained in the condition and for the amount of time required by their legal agreements with the state through LCHIP. The endowment fund is managed by the Treasury Department under RSAs 227-M:12 and 162-C:8. LCHIP grant recipients are required to submit monitoring reports each year of their agreement with LCHIP to demonstrate that the property is being maintained in accord with their legal agreement with the state through LCHIP. Agreements with historic resource projects range from 5 years to perpetual, depending on the amount of state money invested and the type of project. All natural resource projects are protected through perpetual agreements. Pursuant to RSA 227-M:12 II, LCHIP has provided an annual incentive payment to all grant recipients who complied with the requirement to submit an annual monitoring report every year since Funds for these payments are drawn from the income of the Community Conservation Endowment. Expenditure from the CCE requires approval of both the LCHIP Board of Directors and the Council on Resources and Economic Development. In FY 2016, 85 different organizations needed to report on the condition of 200 different properties. Acceptable reports were provided for 185 of the properties. No property reported major violations of their agreement, although a few have issues that LCHIP staff are watching. LCHIP staff performed monitoring for the fifteen properties that did not submit annual monitoring reports. The amount distributed per project is based on the complexity of monitoring the resource, the year s income from the endowment and the number of projects eligible for payments marked the fourth consecutive year when the base payment for an easy-to-monitor property was $200, while the largest amount per individual project was again $800. A total of $60,200 was distributed in incentive payments in FY Land and Community Heritage Investment Program page 7

10 LCHIP Board and Staff Fiscal Year 2016 Public Members Appointed by Governor and Executive Council Doug Cole, Business John Chick Colony, Municipal Cynthia Copeland, Regional Planning Commissions Harold Janeway, Natural Resources Julia Steed Mawson, Recreation Rusty McLear, Cultural/Historic Amanda Merrill, Cultural/Historic Bill Norton, Local Planning Legislative Members Appointed by Senate President & Speaker of the House Senator Jeanie Forrester Senator Martha Fuller Clark Representative David Kidder Representative Judith Spang State Agency Members Ex Officio Lorraine Merrill, Commissioner, Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food (Designee: Jennifer Gornnert) Van McLeod, Commissioner, NH Department of Cultural Resources (Designee: Elizabeth Muzzey) Thomas Burack, Commissioner, Department of Environmental Services (Designee: Pierce Rigrod) Glenn Normandeau, Executive Director, Department of Fish & Game (Designee: John Kanter) Jeffrey Rose, Commissioner, Department of Resources & Economic Development (Designee: Susan Francher) Meredith Hatfield, Director, Office of Energy & Planning (Designee: Tracey Boisvert) LCHIP Staff Dijit Taylor, Executive Director Paula Bellemore, Natural Resource Specialist Jenna Lapachinski, Historic Resource Specialist Melissa Jones, Office Manager (July 2015 January 2016) Barbara Beers, Office Manager (February 2016 June 2016) Benjamin Haley, Historic Resource Intern (May August 2016) Land and Community Heritage Investment Program page 8

11 New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program Annual Report Fiscal Year 2016