Federal historic preservation funding for U.S. Virgin Islands extended through 2026

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. said on Sept. 27, 2024, that President Joe Biden had signed H.R. 9747, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act 2025, extending federal funding for the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund through Dec. 30, 2026.

According to Government House, Section 140(a) of the law extended funding for territories and states affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 under the Harvey, Irma, and Maria Reimbursement Grant Program.

The Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office, within the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, received a $10,056,864 HIM Reimbursement grant in March 2020. Government House said the funds had been scheduled to expire on Sept. 30, 2024.

Government House said the National Park Service had approved more than $4 million in advances to subgrantees for historic recovery projects and reimbursements for some applicants that used their own money to complete repairs after the 2017 storms.

Projects cited by Government House as receiving full or partial advances included the St. Thomas Synagogue, Friedensthal Moravian Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Crucian Heritage and Nature Tourism, and private homeowners in Christiansted, Frederiksted, Savan, Garden Street and other areas of Charlotte Amalie.

Government House said the extension would allow about $3 million more to be spent on recovery work with assistance from the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority’s Office of Disaster Recovery and the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority’s Enterprise Zone Commission.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/president-biden-extends-usvi-state-historic-preservation-funding-through-2026/