Clarification: Judith A. Ludlam, owner of Cape Shore Realty in Lower Township, is not the same person who raised questions in the Jan. 27 story about county Open Space funding for the administrative office of the Arc of Cape May County.
SOUTH DENNIS – As a result of the Herald’s recent reporting, readers continue to submit concerns about the use of county Open Space and Historic Preservation funds to support the Arc’s restoration of its headquarters in the Joseph Falkinburge House.
Per its website description, “The Arc of Cape May County (Route 47 in Dennis Township) promotes and protects the human rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community through their lifetimes. The Arc of Cape May County, Inc. is committed to enhancing the quality of life of those individuals and their families through direct services, advocacy, empowerment, education and prevention.”
The Herald’s Jan. 6 front page story reported on the use of open space funds for the Joseph Falkinburge House at the Arc of Cape May County. The story stated that support was voiced at a freeholder meeting by a number of residents over use of the funds.
The story triggered concerns about whether that funding is appropriate for the facility. The Falkinburge House was built c. 1803 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1994.
Some criticism centers on the Arc’s present use of the home as its commercial business office which it is averred, is not in line with preserving a historic home.
As resident Judy Ludlam has commented at public comment opportunities during funding decision making, “These homes were not built for such use and having toured the home you can see evidence of sloping floors and ceilings from commercial office-like desks, filing cabinets and a large number of office staff in concentrated areas that were meant only for a family.
“I thought Open Space was for a property that was public like the other properties that are being decided upon. The Arc isn’t a historic-oriented preservation non-profit like (Historic) Cold Spring Village. It seems that perhaps the county didn’t know there has been recent controversy with taxpayers in Dennis Township about the Arc and its intentions for the use of the property. We all believe in the Arc and its social services but not the changes to the use of this beautiful historic building.”
Peter Lomax, chairperson of the Cape May County Open Space Advisory Board, which administers historic preservation funding explained, “It is understandable why strict preservationists might want to limit use of an historic building to a narrow purpose. However, our overriding concern is that we are giving funding that meets eligibility requirements which, in this case, the Arc has met.”
In response to these on-going issues, Director Leslie Gimeno of the County Planning Department wrote to Ludlam to clarify the eligibility criteria referred to by Lomax. Gimeno stated that in 2013 “the county Open Space Program added Historic Preservation and park/recreation development as eligible categories in 2013”.
According to Gimeno, “Historic Preservation” projects must meet a two-step eligibility process:
- The site must be eligible. This means that it must have a Certificate of Eligibility for inclusion on the State Register of Historic Places or the property must actually be listed on the State and/or National Register; and
- The applicant/property owner must be a municipality or a Historic Preservation-oriented non-profit organization; private homes are not eligible.
“The Arc meets both of these requirements as the Falkinburge House is listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places and the ARC of Cape May County, Inc. is a non-profit organization that has a clearly defined and dedicated role of stewardship of the historic property, including the attainment of listing on the State and National Register (1994), and the development of a Preservation Plan & Feasibility Study (July 2008) in accordance with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Preservation of Historic Places.
“The Open Space Board requires public access to all sites funded with Open Space Trust Fund dollars. In their presentation to the Open Space Board, the Arc indicated that the building is open to the public during regular business hours for tours.
“One of the stipulations of our funding was that additional signage be placed on site to indicate that the public is welcome so that more people take advantage of their ability to access the site. As an aside, the majority of work to be completed with the Open Space funding will be exterior preservation and restoration that are visible to the public 24/7; none of the proposed work relates to a change or expansion of use of the property. This is simply a preservation/restoration project,” explained Gimeno.
Added Concerns
Other concerns about the Arc’s operations have been made public and relate to alleged zoning violations and reflect the fact that there is sentiment that the Arc seems to be trying to promote more foot traffic from increasing visitors to the facility through weddings, for example, and outside the approved zoning limits of activity only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Fridays.
To exacerbate residents’ frustration, the Arc’s proposed signage needs approval from Dennis Township and, as a matter of public record, the problem has been mentioned of inadequate parking.
Other Dennis residents have raised their own worries that the site has environmental issues such as an abandoned oil tank and cesspool.
Annual Tours
Ludlam’s explanation of resident opposition continues by stating, “Many historic private homes allow the public in once a year for a Christmas tour in Dennisville and South Dennis. This facilitates the true culture of these towns. An annual event that is a tradition with these historic homes. The J.F. building was in this tour when (the late Franklin) Unkle ran the Arc. Once a year is fine for these homes in the tour but not a sign advertising frequent visits.”
Project’s Not Unique
Lomax said the cost of this Arc project was $400,000 of which it is slated to receive 50 percent of the total cost, ($200,000) from board funding when all aspects of the project are completed.
The budget of the Open Space Advisory Board is funded by a tax assessment on county property owners thus it fluctuates according to value. “Many properties in the county, such as B&Bs (bed and breakfast inns) in Cape May City and even the County Museum, itself, are actively used and serve as public spaces, so this Arc project is not unique,” he concluded.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.
