Committee to Save the Bird Homestead Wants to Rehab Rye Meeting House

The Committee to Save the Bird Homestead, a non-profit organization that has worked to preserve the historic Bird Homestead property, would like to take responsibility for preserving the Rye Friends Meeting House, another local landmark currently undergoing a restoration that may be stalled because of funding constraints.

Anne Stillman, president of the Committee to Save the Bird Homestead, gave a presentation at the Rye City Council meeting this week, explaining that the group had secured $50,000 from a generous donor that it could use to match funds for the Meeting House's restoration.

"This proposal does not require any money from the city," Stillman said. "This proposal would benefit the Rye community, the city of Rye government and the Meeting House itself and is in line with the education, environmental and historical goals of the Committee to Save the Bird Homestead."

Stillman said the Committee would use the Meeting House for its programs, lectures and classes. She said it makes sense for the group to take responsibility for both properties since they are adjacent to one another on Milton Road.

In 2002, the city purchased the Meeting House, a property that has been used as a house of worship for more than 100 years. It has acquired one $49,000 grant for the property's restoration. An architect hired by the city, Lisa Easton, has been working on the restoration since 2005. The first phase of the project, which included stabilizing the structure and strengthening its foundation, as well as repairing its bell tower, was just completed, but as the estimated cost of the project continues to increase the restoration has slowed because of lack of funding.

Stillman said her group, an all-volunteer organization, has the expertise within its ranks to undertake rehabilitation of the Meeting House property.

However, some Rye City Council members were hesitant about letting the Committee take over another project, considering the Bird Homestead property still needs $1 million worth of restoration.

"Certainly your group has always had very sincere motives. My fear is that your group, the bird homestead group, is now biting off more than it can chew," said Councilman Joe Sack.

The Committee to Save the Bird Homestead could be on the hook for $1 million if the city doesn't receive grant reimbursement for its 2009 purchase of the Bird Homestead property—a Greek Revival farmhouse built in 1835 that belonged to the Bird family, one of Rye's most prominent families. In August 2009, the city passed a resolution to acquire the property, which was then a private home owned by the family of John Erikson. One of the terms of the acquisition was that the Committee to Save the Bird Homestead would pay the difference if all the necessary grants did not come through.

This August, the Rye City Council voted 6-1 to approve more than $4.5 million in revenue anticipation notes, $550,000 of which was for the Bird Homestead project. The notes are short-term debt issued by the city that it expects to repay through anticipated incoming revenues, such as grants or other forms of outside aid. 

Sack, who was the lone dissenting vote, said the city was not even confident enough to issue revenue anticipation notes for the full $1 million cost because it does not know if it will get that money back in outside aid, given the current fiscal constraints of the state and other grant agencies. It is risky for the Committee to tackle another project when funding sources for its original obligation have not materialized yet, he said.

"I'd kind of like to square away that deal before you extend yourself to another deal," Sack told Stillman.

However, Rye Mayor Doug French said he was open to the idea, especially because it would not cost the city any additional money.

"I think government needs to get out of the way," he said. "We have a resident here who is willing to take this project on."

He added that the project would build momentum towards the creation of a historic district the Council has been discussing, so the proposal could benefit the entire community.

The City Council did not come to any definitive conclusion about Stillman's proposal during its Wednesday meeting. It will continue to debate the matter at its upcoming meeting on Oct. 6.