Funding dictates pace
City Planner Suzanne Cahill confirmed that work had been ongoing, albeit in fits and starts, depending on the group’s funding since 2008. Cahill said the planning board had been in touch with the project’s architect, Alan Baer, and its contractor, Joseph Malcarne, “very regularly.” Earlier this week, she said a board member had toured the house to view the results of the latest phase in stabilization work which kicked off in June. In September Transart is set to meet with the full planning board to discuss progress and the next steps in the renovation effort.
“It has not happened as quickly as we would have liked,” said Cahill. “But the work is ongoing.”
Baer, who drew up plans for the restoration and is overseeing the work, said at least some of the delay stems from the idiosyncratic nature of the house. Built in the 1870s by local contractor Solomon Burger-Matthews, the house functioned as a sort of demonstration model for prospective clients. Thus, the house features a wide and time-incongruous array of Victorian-era features and building materials. Further, since the house was designated a state landmark in 2007, any restoration work must be in compliance with stringent state historic preservation guidelines.
Baer said he had had to rework the plans several times to deal with issues that arose in the course of the stabilization project. “There were a number of unusual conditions far in excess of what most people would consider representative in a small house,” said Baer. “Weird angles, bays, projections … a mysterious-cistern like feature in the basement. Some of it is totally whacko.”
But, Baer said, the biggest challenge was raising the necessary, money pointing out that the work “could not get ahead of the funding.” Greer Smith noted that Transart’s acquisition of the building had coincided with the financial meltdown of 2008, which drastically reduced funding sources for historic preservation and cultural projects. Smith said that Transart was actively seeking new funding, including money from the city’s annual Community Development Block Grant award from HUD.
“If we got a bucket of money tomorrow,” said Smith, “we could get working [on the exterior] tomorrow and be done very quickly.”
The mayor is concerned
Gallo said this week that while he fully supports Transart’s goal of creating a cultural center in the heart of the Midtown revitalization zone, he remains concerned about the group’s ability to raise the necessary cash to follow through with the project. Since taking office, Gallo has revamped procedures in the city’s Office of Community Development, which administers the HUD funds. The changes were intended to ensure that money went only to organizations with the fundraising and organizational capacity to complete projects. The new regulations were set up to address issues in past years where thousands of dollars in HUD money remained unused, or in some cases had to be returned, because the recipient organizations could not come up with additional funds to carry out work described in their grant applications, or failed to follow exacting guidelines for use of the federal dollars.
Last year, Gallo said the group had applied for CDBG money for a geothermal climate control system for the house. Smith, Gallo said, told him she needed the city funding to match a $25,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The application was rejected after the NYSERDA grant failed to materialize. Cahill said that while Transart had identified a number of potential funding sources, it was unclear whether anything had actually materialized. Gallo said that he included project in the revitalization plan to demonstrate his support and to leave the door open for CDBG funding in the future.
“It’s an interesting project, it’s a worthwhile project to represent the culture of Midtown,” said Gallo. “But the people who want this to happen are going to have to demonstrate that they can match whatever funding the city can provide, otherwise, we’re not in a position to assist them with funding.”
All Texas needs is water and some good people. And as has been pointed out, that would probably do it for Hell as well.
Please leave off of your pursuit of Gallo…
Transart has been desperately lax in involving the community, in doing some hands on work on that place, in explaining to people that that is NOT just some abandoned wreck, since that by god is sure what it looks like.
The Kingston Times is way out of line on this, and not at all adequately informed.
Transart will fare very very well under Gallo, as has Hodge and Midtown with BEAT and what will be the Lace Factory start up early next year.
And as a little plug for the Ward 4 candidate Steve Laden, that man is a strong community minded leader and an accomplished artist and art teacher and with an alderman like that, I think Transart will do much much better.
Thank you Mr. Burke for your very kind words. I have known Greer Smith and TRANSART since my days as the Grants Manager for the Dutchess County Arts Council. Ms. Smith is exactly correct, there has been a meltdown of funding sources, making the restoration job all that more difficult to accomplish.
Mr. Burke has a point. Community involvement is all important, witness the Rehr Immigration Center and the proposed Irish Center, both doing a yeoman’s job in fundraising through the community.
The Matthews House has an interesting story, and as architect Alan Baer states, the interior is quite unique. All good fundraising and audience development begins with telling an interesting story. Let’s hear that story and history, it will spur public interest.