Councilors draft resolution to save Pink House | Local News … – The Daily News of Newburyport

NEWBURYPORT — A trio of city councilors are hoping to keep bulldozers at bay on the Plum Island Turnpike, where the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking at tearing down the Pink House.

The 9.2-acre property, which contains the nearly century-old dwelling, is owned by the Fish and Wildlife Service and located in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge announced last week that it has opened a 30-day public comment period for a draft environmental assessment that includes a proposal to tear down the house to make way for a universally accessible observation platform.

Although the house is located in Newbury, Newburyport Ward 2 City Councilor Jennie Donahue said she heard the news about the refuge’s plans to demolish the building and felt something needed to be done locally. That prompted she and fellow councilors Ed Cameron and Mark Wright to sponsor a resolution, which encourages Fish and Wildlife to continue holding discussions to find a suitable land exchange to save the Pink House. They also asked U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, to get involved. 

The Pink House is a symbol of Greater Newburyport, according to Donahue, who said she’s not moved by the refuge’s plans.

“In the words of Joni Mitchell, they want to pave paradise and put up a parking lot,” she said. “In the grand scheme of things, we’re just another number on the page to a federal government. There’s no connection for them. It doesn’t mean anything to them. But we, in the community, know that it means an awful lot to many, many people and it’s become an icon. This is something that started off as a negative thing and has become an overwhelmingly positive inspiration for people. It’s a part of the landscape.”

The home was built in 1925, according to local legend, out of spite by a husband taking revenge on his soon-to-be ex-wife and has become one of the most well-known and photographed properties in the area.

The Fish and Wildlife Service bought the property for $375,000 in 2011 and has been working with the local non-profit organization Support The Pink House since 2015 to try and come up with a land swap agreement that could save the house.

Donahue said she would like to see a land swap deal worked out with the refuge and she wrote the resolution to provide an amplified voice to federal officials.

“We they are proposing is really not an adequate use of that property,” she said.

The resolution is expected to come before the City Council for a reading at City Hall Monday night.

“This may bring enough attention to this that a land swap can be put in place at the 11th hour,” Wright said.

State Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, has also scheduled a public conversation along with refuge manager Matt Hillman at PITA Hall, on Monday, Nov. 20, and Wright said he is interested to see where things go from there.

“This has been an object of great sentimental value for a long time to anyone living in Newburyport or Plum Island,” he said. “I think Fish and Wildlife would like to be relieved of their responsibility in trying to maintain the house in its current condition, or at least keep it where it needs to be.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bought the property, consisting of three parcels, for $375,000 in 2011 and initially planned to tear the house down in 2015. Support the Pink House Inc. was then formed and has been able to stave off demolition. For years it has been advocating for a land swap that would alleviate the federal government’s burden of maintaining it while preserving a house that has been loved by artists, visitors and residents for generations. 

Support the Pink House board member Alison Odle said she has heard from many people who are upset about the refuge’s plan and is hoping a land swap is still in the cards. 

“We feel we need a push here because we still feel a land swap can be done,” she said. “The support we have gotten from from our local representatives has been excellent so far and we just need to keep getting all of the evidence out there that people are on our side and don’t want to see this house taken down.”

Hillman did not return a message seeking comment in time for this report.