OPT, OHC, What’s the Deal?
By Stephanie Skinner
January/February 2025
There’s a lot to love about the Town of Otis: the waterways, hills, beasts of the field, water, and air, the community enthusiasm, and much more. But do we sometimes overlook the heart of Otis? Well, let’s just say, Otis has history.
East Otis Schoolhouse
Photo: John Phelan. Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69060699
There are many locations in Otis that are historically significant, some that date back to before the town was formed in 1810, and some even farther back than the founding of America. The desire to preserve this unique heritage, and in particular the preservation and renovation of historically significant properties, is the driving force of the Otis Historical Commission (OHC).
OHC is a town commission, with five members and two alternates appointed by the select board: Gail Gelburd, Diane Provenza, Hal Kobrin, Joel Meyers, and Celeste Watman, and alternates Peter Cameron and Tom Ragusa. Because it is a town entity, OHC can, and does, apply for grants that are available to towns and municipalities to support the preservation of, so far, two properties: the East Otis Schoolhouse, and the former St. Paul’s, now being restored and repurposed to become the Otis Cultural Center.
OHC has already received $469,000 (with more to come) in these municipal grants from the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. These grants come with the requirement of dollar-for-dollar matching funds, meaning funding from either the town itself, individuals, or private foundations. Thus far, the town has provided matching funding for the East Otis Schoolhouse restoration but the town has voted to not provide matching funding for the Otis Cultural Center.
That’s where the Otis Preservation Trust (OPT) comes in!
OPT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit run entirely by volunteers and fundraises from individuals—which is something OHC cannot do. OPT also applies for grants from private foundations which only provide grants to non-profits (not towns or municipalities). Thus far, OPT has raised $200,000 from private foundations, and more than $150,000 from individual donations, kicked off by a generous private donor.
These funds provide the matching money required for the grants the town received on behalf of OHC. In the future, OPT will continue to raise funds from private foundations and individuals, and perhaps in the near future from federal funding targeting non-profits.
OPT is not a town entity but works to support town initiatives. The twelve members of OPT, with an executive board of Stephanie Skinner, Geoff Pigman, and Tricia Smith, are always interested in sharing what they’re up to and looking for any support you can imagine, even just stopping by the farmer’s market in the summer to chat!
We hope you are thrilled with the remarkable success OHC and OPT have had in raising funds to support the restoration of these historically significant properties! There’s so much more to be done, but fortunately, there is a great passion to see our Otis history preserved for generations to come.
If you’d like to get involved, consider these distinctions between OPT and OHC:
• OHC is a town commission appointed by the Select Board. Meetings are open to the public and follow all guidelines as specified by the Town. Members write grants, and provide the vision and impetus for town restoration projects. Reach out to the town to find out if there are openings to volunteer at OHC.
• OPT is a non-profit. Members fundraise, write grants, and meet monthly in closed meetings to discuss how to support the projects underway. Reach out to Stephanie Skinner to find out if there are openings at OPT … the answer is likely YES!
