Swift House Committee recommends nonprofit approach to fill funding gap

KENT — After two months of deliberation, the Swift House Investigative Committee presented its recommendations to the Board of Selectmen for the future handling of the historic – and controversial – downtown building: protect it with a preservation easement, build a nonprofit to steward it, and if all else fails, sell it.

The temporary committee was established by the selectmen in February to formulate a plan for the town-owned structure before the May budget vote, which is scheduled for the 29th. The late 18th century building has been owned by the town since 1974, but has been effectively defunct for several years with no clear path forward, sparking disagreement between residents who wish to keep it as a historic town asset and others who view it as a tax burden.

During a special meeting held by the BOS on May 5, James Anderson, chair of the committee and co-owner of Kent-based letterpress card outfit Saturn Press, suggested that the first step is to protect the iconic façade of the building that faces Route 341.

“Recognizing that future ownership is uncertain, there was a desire on the part of the committee to ensure that the exterior façade of the house is preserved as part of the streetscape,” he said, recommending that the town place a preservation easement on that aspect of the structure.

The next move would be to initiate the process of finding the building a placement on the National Register of Historic Places, which Kent Historical Society President Christine Adams, who also sits on the committee,said is a crucial step in applying for external support. “Many won’t look at an application unless it’s registered,” she said of the various grant-writing institutions who may consider funding such a project.

If the town is to retain ownership, outside funding must be the priority, Anderson stated. He noted that there is a large gap between projected renovation costs, estimated at about $2 million in a 2024 report by architecture firm Silver Petrucelli & Associates, and town capital funds available for the project.

Much of that sum would be dedicated towards bringing the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is “nonoptional” if the building remains under public ownership, Anderson said.

After the Board of Finance voted on April 14 to move $200,000 over the line to 2032 in the Five Year Capital Plan, $225,000 remains in the taxable part of the proposal. With the change, $375,000 sits beyond the five year line for the Swift House, used for planning purposes but not actionable.

Part of the Investigative Committee’s recommendation report was that any capital funds allocated towards the project be should kept, since most grants for this type of project are matched, meaning the town must contribute funds as well: “If we wish to secure these grants, then we’re going to have to show that the town is willing to spend some of its resources to help… if we come in with zero, we’re not going to get a warm reception is my prediction,” Anderson said.

Anderson noted, with Selectman Lynn Harrington’s support, that an additional way to appeal to grant makers is through a nonprofit rather than the municipality itself.

“A 501(c)(3) is a much better place to apply for grant money and go after resources that are external to the town,” he said, explaining that with this approach, ownership could remain public.

He compared the approach of town support, nonprofit management and external funding to a “three-legged stool.”

“That kind of three legged stool,” he said, “is much more powerful than either a two legged stool, or a one legged stool, which is very unpowerful – you fall off it.”

The report stipulates that if the nonprofit model proves dysfunctional after a year, the town should seek to sell the building.

Anderson urged that the town include in its 2026-2027 operating budget $5,000 for a consultant to apply for a position on the Registry, as well as $5,000 to fund a grant writer to kickstart the nonprofit effort.

The 2026-2027 municipal operating budget proposal contains a line of $19,600 for general maintenance and basic repairs of the building, but “nothing that’s going to make a dent in the work that needs to be done to make it usable as a town facility,” Anderson said.

Selectman Lynn Worthington suggested the group should present its case to fund the two initiatives and bring the capital back over the line to the Board of Finance during the annual budget hearing on Friday, May 15.

“We’ll beat the bushes and get as many people there as we can,” said Marge Smith, curator at the Historical Society and a member of the Investigative Committee.

The BOS will review the Committee’s recommendations during its next scheduled regular meeting on May 19.