Last week, the state rescinded a $50,000 grant for Marblehead’s months-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Revolution. The money, awarded in July, was yanked on Aug. 5 due to Marblehead’s noncompliance with the MBTA Communities Act.
“This is a devastating blow,” said Marblehead Grant Coordinator Donna Cotterell. “This was an awesome opportunity to share Marblehead’s history.”
The $50,000 was going to be used for several programs and events, including a tall ship visit to Marblehead Harbor next July, historical reenactments and performances, educational materials and more.
“We were planning a series of events, because Marblehead played a big part in the Revolutionary War and leading up to the war,” Cotterell said. “I’m disappointed because the funding targeted untold stories. I was looking forward to lifting up stories of African American and Native American Marbleheaders.”
Marblehead Museum Executive Director Lauren McCormack is also upset about the lost grant.
“That’s a lot of funding, and the town could have used it to develop multiple programs,” McCormack said.
The town will continue to look for funding to try and salvage some of the programming, perhaps from federal or private sources, according to Cotterell.
“We see this as an investment for the town for economic development with tourism,” she said. “As a town, we’re not just losing the $50,000. We’re losing a whole lot more in tourism dollars.”
Resident Jim Murphy, who sits on the 250 Committee, added in an emailed statement, “Although I do appreciate and respect that there are very differing views on how legislation impacts municipalities, the vote which placed Marblehead in noncompliance resulted in loss of critical funds for infrastructure improvements, and required the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism to terminate funding of the recent $50,000 grant awarded to the town for programs to celebrate REV 250, is very disappointing.”
