Ramapough Conservancy Receives Brotherton Foundation Grant
Oakland, NJ, September 13, 2012 — The Ramapough Conservancy has received a $15,000 grant from the Fred J. Brotherton Charitable Foundation to complete emergency repairs to the roof of the Van Allen House in Oakland.
The Brotherton Foundation is a family-run organization which supports charitable organizations primarily in North and Central New Jersey and New York City. The major funding areas of the Foundation are education, religion, historic preservation, and medical programs and/or scientific research.
“This is a thrilling day for Ramapough Conservancy, for Oakland and for Bergen County,” said Judith Sullivan, President of Ramapough Conservancy. “The historically significant Van Allen and Stream Houses are key buildings in the Ramapo Mountains and we are so very proud and privileged to be able to play a leadership role in the restoration of these precious buildings to their original glory.”
This grant will be used by the Ramapough Conservancy to hire a roofer to patch the holes in the roof of the historic Van Allen House until more funds are available to replace the roof entirely. The holes in the roof run down through into the ceilings of some of the upstairs rooms. These holes make the house and its precious contents vulnerable to weather damage and animal infestation.
The grant is structured as a challenge grant. The Ramapough Conservancy must raise the additional $17,000 necessary to complete the project. This is meant as a challenge to the Ramapough Conservancy to increase the involvement of the community in the restoration of the Van Allen House.
“On behalf of the residents of Oakland, I want to thank the Brotherton Foundation for awarding this important grant to the Ramapough Conservancy to help begin the restoration of the Van Allen House,” said Linda H. Schwager, Oakland Mayor. “We have trust and confidence in the Ramapough Conservancy’s efforts to restore the Van Allen House and are thankful that the Brotherton Foundation has acknowledged the same trust and confidence by awarding this Grant.”
The Ramapough Conservancy is a newly founded nonprofit organization which focuses on land conservation and historic preservation in the Ramapo Mountains area. Their first major project has been signing a lease with the Borough of Oakland for the historic Van Allen Property in order to apply for grants and restore the property. Other projects include working with the state, other local organizations, and private landowners to achieve responsible pipeline development in the Ramapo Mountains, keeping cultural and historic resources in mind. Additionally, the Ramapough Conservancy has provided volunteer services to the Ramapough Lenape Nation. To support the Ramapough Conservancy’s efforts to preserve the Van Allen house or to learn more about the organization, visit ramapoughconservancy.org. Tax-deductible donation to:
Ramapough Conservancy
c/o The Land Conservancy of New Jersey
19 Boonton Ave.
Boonton, NJ 07005
Checks should be made out to The Land Conservancy of New Jersey
Imagine if Szabo and company had won last year. We would still have a round table of elected officials sitting around the table trying to come up with expensive ideas. It’s great to see something happening and not on the tax payers dime.
I think it’s great that they received a grant for the Van Allen House. It should be fixed. But to put any money in the stream house is insane! It should be taken down, like the town voted it to be.