MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Freeholders approved spending $3.5 million from the historic preservation portion of the county’s Preservation Trust Fund to help preserve 32 historic sites and resources in 17 towns across the county.
The freeholders approved the grants, ranging from $4,151 to $300,000, during their public meeting on July 8 based on the recommendation of the county’s Historic Preservation Trust Fund Review Board.
Parsippany-Troy Hills received two grants totalling $188,376.00. The first grant was to Craftsman Farms for Window Restoration in the amount of $150,000 and the second grant was for Smith-Baldwin House – Preservation Plan in the amount of $38,376.
Of the 33 approved grants, 26 are for construction or restoration projects and 7 are for acquisition of historic sites or development of plans for preservation or construction documents. The largest number of awards were approved for historic projects in Morristown, Pequannock and Roxbury.
Grants also were approved for projects in Parsippany, Denville, Florham Park, Harding, Kinnelon, Madison, Mine Hill, Mountain Lakes, Morris Township, Mount Olive, Netcong, Rockaway Borough, Washington Township, and Wharton.
“This money will help finance the vitally important task of preserving and sustaining our county’s heritage. Restoring and protecting these historic buildings and sites maintains links to the past showing how this county developed over time,’’ said Freeholder Director Kathy DeFillippo.
“The historic restoration work done with the help of these grants will allow future generations to fully enjoy and treasure these historic sites, which enhance the quality of life for all residents of Morris County,’’ added Freeholder John Cesaro.
“The grant recipients are not only dedicated to preserving these historic sites and structures but also to preserving and sharing information and stories of significant persons and events associated with those sites and structures,’’ said Ray Chang, Historic Preservation Program Coordinator for Morris County. “Their efforts, which ensure that our county’s heritage and architectural legacies sustained deserve our thanks.”
Awards are made for projects that offer significant contributions to the advancement of historic preservation; restorations, rehabilitations, and adaptive use plans of historic buildings and cultural landscapes.
Grants are also awarded for establishing innovative documentation of our historic resources which contribute to the knowledge of the county’s past; and pioneering inventive efforts to preserve communities, buildings, archaeological sites, and other types of historic resources
Morris County voters in 2002 approved an amendment to the county’s Preservation Trust Fund to include the acquisition and preservation of historic sites and facilities.
Since 2003, when the first grants were awarded, 85 sites or resources in 32 Morris County municipalities have received funding assistance.
