Historic Preservation Office gains $388K

The Historic Preservation Office under the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs has successfully gained a slight funding level increase for fiscal year 2006.

The $388,157 increase represents the fourth straight year that the CNMI HPO has garnered the top funding level amongst its Micronesian and Guam counterparts; only the state of Hawaii has a higher funding level in the Pacific.

The National Park Service has recently released the amount of funding authorized by U.S. Congress for the Historic Preservation Fund. The total appropriation for FY 2006 is in the amount of $35,716,676, a 3.32-percent increase from last year’s apportionment. This funding is received by all states, its territories, and Freely Associated States of Micronesia and is carefully monitored by NPS under the Department of the Interior. The top 30 tier states received a larger percentage increase than smaller states and its territories through a formula process.

According to HPO director Epiphanio E. Cabrera, Jr., the funding will go toward historic preservation activities, including employee salary and the program areas—survey, inventory, national register, archaeology, public education, outreach, and administration.

“The increase in the HPF, although marginal, reflects the success of the program in meeting its HPF requisites and generating tangible products for the community, especially in the publication aspect of the program,” said Cabrera.

In the upcoming weeks, HPO will announce the availability of these funds for community projects relating to historic preservation. In addition, Cabrera urged the community to be more involved and to participate in the preservation and protection of the CNMI’s cultural and archaeological resources.

“Despite the increase in our funding level, this amount is not enough to adequately perform many other aspects of the program. Our office has the potential to do many historic preservation projects and activities, but without sufficient funding, we aren’t able to move as far,” said Cabrera.

“It is unfortunate that the National Park Service also has informed the HPO that it will need to reduce its publication production per year to only one or two books and concentrate more on intensive archaeological surveys and producing nominations to the US National Register of Historic Places,” he added. “The public should write to HPO and inform us of the dire need to continue our publication series so that it may forward this information to the National Park Service and other possible grant agencies. HPO produces the most books annually in the CNMI, and it will be very unfortunate to not provide more research material and sources to the public.”

Cabrera plans to turn to the Legislature for assistance with the numerous books HPO has planned to publish and reprint. Department of Community & Cultural Affairs Secretary Daisy C. Villagomez-Bier commended Cabrera and the HPO staff for their performance, especially with the success in acquiring a higher federal funding level amidst the economic and security concerns in the nation.

HPO will hold public hearings in March on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota on its proposed work goals for FY 2006. (PR)