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June 17, 2009

Boat shop wins $86,200 grant

By Lynne Hendricks

AMESBURY — When it comes to winning an election, Lowell's Boat Shop proved you can't underestimate the underdog.

The little boat shop was up against tough competition as it raced to win votes that could translate into tens of thousands of dollars for badly needed repairs. It faced well-known and well-organized competitors, like Boston's Paul Revere House and Old North Church and Ipswich's Crane Estate.

So it campaigned hard. The board, staff and volunteers asked everyone they knew to cast votes. They offered a free boat to a randomly chosen person who voted for them. They even had the mayors of Newburyport and Amesbury race in dories as a publicity stunt to grab a few more votes.

In the end, it was all worthwhile. The votes have been counted, and Lowell's Boat Shop has been chosen as the recipient of an $86,200 grant through the American Express Partners in Preservation program.

Out of 100 applicants in the Boston area, Lowell's was one of 25 institutions identified in April for its historical, aesthetic and cultural significance, and through a public voting process, it came in eighth on the public's list of places most worth preserving.

"Give yourself a pat on the back," is the message Lowell's left on its Web site for all those who took the time to go online and vote for them. "You helped a 7-person boat shop with a Web site and about $1,000 in advertising money move right on up to 8th place."

The historic 216-year-old boat shop that's considered the birthplace of the legendary fishing dory found itself in dire need of repairs this spring after high winds tore away part of its roof last winter, resulting in a leak and overall compromise of the structure.

It was encouraged by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to vie for some of the $1 million in restoration funds being offered through the Partners and Preservation contest, and received enough votes from community members and friends by the May 15 deadline to finish eighth and receive enough money to replace boat shop windows, repair the roof and replace lost shingles and give the building a much-needed new paint job. Lowell's had requested $88,000 in grant money and received just shy of that amount.

The Partners in Preservation tout Lowell's as a Greater Boston institution, whose buildings "tell stories of bygone eras, with clues to the past under layers of paint and carved old beams." And that's certainly how locals feel about the quaint riverside building that's been at work on the shores of the Merrimack River through every American presidency.

Lowell's Boat Shop board member Sally McKay was ecstatic with the win, which was announced yesterday by members of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and representatives from American Express.

"It's very exciting after all the effort that we grabbed the brass ring," said McKay, who credits all those who voted as the reason for the organization's procurement of the grant.

Lowell's will be announcing the winner of the dory — an incentive offered to those who voted — by June 26.

Of all the votes in five weeks of competition, Lowell's received a total of 5 percent of the vote, and in the process increased their Web traffic by 865 percent, achieved the support of more than 50 national and international organizations, and garnered support from 43 different countries.

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Boat shop wins $86,200 grant
by By Lynne Hendricks , , Wed Jun 17, 2009, 03:56 AM EDT

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