November 15, 2024 • 39 mins
An iconic house in Newburyport referred to as the “The Pink House” has been in the midst of a demolition battle between locals and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. What was originally built as a “spite” house in 1925 by a divorcee, has long become a historical icon in the region. The federal agency wants to tear down the home and return the land to its original state and support local wildlife, whereas the Support The Pink House organization is actively working to save it. Rochelle Joseph, President of the Support The Pink House organization joined Dan Rea.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's night Side with Dan Ray WBZ Constance new video.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Okay, I assume that many of you, maybe not everyone,
but many of you in our audience have heard about
this effort up on Plum Island, actually physically in Newbury
not Newburyport, but in Newbury, Massachusetts, which is a different community,
about a house that is called the Pink House. And
(00:31):
we have been in touch with a group called Support
the Pink House. If you've heard the story or read
about it and haven't focused on the details, while you're
in luck, because tonight we have the president of the
group Support the Pink House with us. Her name is
Rochelle Joseph and Rochelle welcome to Nightside. How are you tonight?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Oh? Just great, Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
You're very welcome. Now, Rochelle, let me just start off
with some basic questions. How long has this battle and
it's a battle to save the Pink House. How long
has this battle been going on? How many years?
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Well, the effort certainly has been going on for We're
in our ninth year and we've been working with fish
and wildlife and municipal, state and federal elected officials.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Well, this this, this is not a simple story. So
we're gonna we're gonna break it all down here. But
how long have you been involved in this? You're the
president of the group, so I'm assuming that you probably
were there at the beginning.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
I was with uh uh, you know most of the
people on the board also and uh yeah, so we.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
We what why is it? Why is it important to
save this property. We're going to describe the property. We'll
get to the history and all of that, but just
as a as a starting point in our converse station,
why is it important that this property, which is not
in good condition at this point? I think everyone acknowledges
those are different reasons. Why is it important that this
(02:11):
piece of this house, which has stood there now for
nearly one hundred years correct saved, be saved and not
torn down.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Well, it's a wonderful question and a really important one.
Besides that, it is a hasard matter of meaning and
generational memories for many, many people. I mean there's tens
of thousands of people who are supporting this across the
region and in the state and beyond. It's an economic
driver as well. It brings people to the area. It's
(02:40):
a tourist or visitor draw and people then stay shop,
you know, eat rent and all. And it's also an
artists muse. Many artists come out here, whether they're photographers, writers, painters,
and have been so inspired by it, similar to the
Motif number one, which is considered one of the most
photographs structures, you know, in the country.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I want you to know, I may be the only
person listening tonight, but I don't know what motif number
one is. And since you brought it up, why don't
you tell me?
Speaker 3 (03:12):
I will be you know. Yeah, some of the things
that make you know, like the Citco sign, the Numble
Lighthouse in York, the.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Very very if you had said the Citco sign, Rochelle,
I would have known what you were talking about immediately. Okay,
So this.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Is filing in Rockport, right on the sea coast, and
it's charming and just something that is an identifier of
the area. And the Pink House with its unique silhouette,
and when you see that silhouette you know where you are.
It is. It is incredibly it's an identifier for this area.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Now, just the history of the Pink House. Let's let's
let's establish the history here. We're doing it sequentially so
people can follow along. Built in nineteen twenty four and
I read some article that it was called at one
point the spite House because it built for by a
man who had going through a divorce. And the tale
(04:06):
and I don't know that this has ever been neil
down but his wife, his ex wife, insisted that he
would build a perfect specification of the house that they
had lived in. How much truth is.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
That to that? Well, you know, it's an urban legend.
We have had, you know, our our board, Sandy Tilton
and Allison Oldele who did deep dives into you know,
Sandy certainly worked for tell us about I'd like to.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Know more about I'd love to know more about Sandy Tilton.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Tell us about him. Uh, Well, Sandy and and Alison
Elison who's founded the group. Uh. You know, Sandy is
a nature photographer in the area, very very well known.
She she you know, has great family history here originally
from Ipswich, and she's just got her ear to the ground,
knows everyone and is very passionate about community and about
(05:00):
the region and about nature and is very invested in
you know, the refuge in the fish and wildlife as
we all are, and as well as in this house.
Is you know, has been something that she along with
the other five of us and several volunteers and many
Is there anyone else in the.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Group that you'd like to mention, because I'd like to
get their names out and then we can we can
move on back to the house. Who else in the
group would you like to give it?
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Not to give everyone such justice, I.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Really want to. I want to focus more on the cause.
But please, let's let's give as many names as you'd like.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Go right ahead, certainly. Well again, Alison Olvi is our founder.
She and and then there is Sandy Tilton, as I mentioned,
a board member, Jeff Ackley who's also a board member,
and Kelly Page. So they are the four of us,
and Kelly, you know, worked very hard on our preservation restriction,
(05:55):
and everybody pitches in and wears many, many hats.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Okay, let's get is there someone else you'd like to mention?
That's fine, Okay, good, let's get back to the pink house,
because I think people want to focus on the that
aspect of the story. So I asked you and you
said it was sort.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Of a light house. Yeah, So let me tell you
that anybody who's interested can go on our website at www.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
What I'm going to do, if it's okay with you,
I will give you plenty of chance to mention the website. Okay,
So what I'd like to do with your cooperation is
it like to focus on the story of the Pink
House so people who do not live near you understand
what we're going to be talking about. So I'm going
to take a break. I'm just going to reorganize here
(06:43):
and we're going to come back so that people can
understand why the Pink House has become so important to
the community and what efforts are being made to save
the Pink House against a lot of opposition from the
federal government. You've gotten some help from Governor Healey. We're
(07:03):
going to get into all of this.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Okay, And I would like to address the Spite House
and that that is a complete urban legend that I
would that.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Was why that actually that actually, to be honest with you, Rochelle,
was why I asked you. And somehow we got a
little sidetracked on the membership of the board. So I'm
glad that everybody has had an acknowledgment. And when we
get back from this commercial break, we'll go right to
the Pink House, and uh, and and and tell the
story of the Pink House, how it got to the
(07:33):
state of disrepair that is in today, and what is
being done to try to save it, and and and
the battle that is being fought, because that's the story
that I want my audience to know about. Okay, Uh,
that's that's what is the important element of our conversation.
And we'll take a break. We'll regroup and we'll be
back right after this break on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Side Studios. I'm w News Radio.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
We're talking with Rochelle Joseph. She is the head of
an organization called Support the Pink House. Some of you
have read about this in newspapers, so we're gonna go
back and Rochelle tells us that the origin of the
Pink House in nineteen twenty four is still in some dispute,
so we'll leave that alone. This house was occupied, Rochelle,
(08:25):
from my reading of it, up until probably around twenty ten.
And at that point the last family who lived there
moved away, as I understand it, and they sold it.
Who was it sold to?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
In twenty ten, it was sold to the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service, right.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Okay, so that's how they got involved in it. Now,
this home is on a parcel of land. It's not
in what we would consider a traditional neighborhood. But you
mentioned to me there's there's, there's, there are houses across
the road, and it runs by it's very close to
a major road when people are driving into Plumb Island.
(09:09):
Is that correct?
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Yes, it is a residential acre and it's right on
and in fact, it belonged to several parcels of acres.
But it's got a dozen or more homes across the
street and Bob Lobster, who is a great lobster place,
And there's a municipal are there's an airport actually that
is considered one of the oldest in the country right
next to it. So it's really not in the middle
(09:33):
of the refuge.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Okay, fair enough. The US Fish and Wildlife Services, I
understand that initially wanted to perhaps use it as a
headquarters or as a place where maybe people could stay.
But apparently they concluded that it had fallen into significant disrepair.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
But but I'd like to speak to that, if I may,
I ask you what I'm going.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
To do what I'm going to do. Actually, Rachelle, I
was beginning to formulate a question. So if you'll just
let me lead the dance here, I promise you you're
going to get everything in As they started to mention
the Wildlife Service as again I'm reading from an article
in the Business Insider.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
From yeah, which is not very accurate.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Well, I'm very much in favor of accuracy as well.
But what I'm trying to do is ask questions, as
I mentioned to you today, to which I want you
to be responsive. I'm not here to cross examine you.
I'm basically trying to conduct a direct examination. And if
if you'll stick with the questions and respond to the questions,
(10:42):
we will I guarantee you at the end of the
hour have told the story effectively and you'll be able
to I'm sure, generate some more support for for your
effort to save the ping House. So the US Fish
and Wildlife Service came to the conclusion, I guess this
as bestis or whatever. Uh, it is not direct question.
(11:03):
It is not at this point in a livable condition. Correct.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
All of his contaminants, which were not as bad as projected,
did get remediated, So it is no danger to anything.
And the house itself is quite sound. The bones are wonderful,
the walls and the windows are straight, the roof is great,
no cracks in the foundation. And that is a misconception
(11:29):
that it's just really important for your listeners to know.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Okay, So that's fine, So you would dispute the characterization
that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has made, and
you actually, as I understand it, found they put it
up for sale recently, and as I understand it, there
(11:55):
was no bid to purchase it from the thing.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
It was an auction the federal One of the problems
here and why it's taken so long, is that the
house can't be sold. Typically it is no longer a
typical residential house because it's owned by the federal government.
So really the reason we've been working on land trade
is that they can only you know, one of the
limited ways in which it can be freed from their
(12:19):
ownership is through land swath, which actually is the most
beneficial to them.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
So in terms of I'm going to I'm going to
get to that in a second. What happened at the auction?
Why was there no one did they put a reserve
on the auction? Did they say that.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Yeah, the auction was for the house only and not
the land, So that was one issue. It was logistically
and cost prohibitive. Anybody who really looked into it as
deeply as we did realize that there's quite a bit
of limitation for moving it. And secondly, most people did
not know that the location is is iconic as the
(12:57):
house itself, and nobody really wanted see it moved, and
so they learned. You know, that was what was learned
in the thirty day period.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Just so I understand and my audience understands, there was
an effort by the government to sell the house at
an auction, but an aspect of the requirement of the
auction is that the house also would have been had
to have been moved off the property.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Correct, correct, Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
All right. So now you've been working on a plan
most recently as I understand it, and if I'm wrong,
feel to feel free to correct me, in which you
have come up with a proposal which would involve a
land swap. How would that work? And why has the
government not been willing to participate in the proposal that
(13:48):
you folks have made.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Well, we have been working on a few different deals.
I guess you'd call it with the uf fision while life.
That's what we've been doing over the eight years. We
worked for three and a half years or so on
one landslap proposal that kind of fell through it the
eleventh hour, which is really a shame. And then the
(14:11):
Fish and Wildlife Real Pea came to us again a
couple of years ago and said it would be so
beneficial for their mission to trade this acre because they
can because of the difference in price of marshaker, they
can get up to hundreds of acre acres in return
for the trade, and so it would be so beneficial
for them to take this acre, which really is a
(14:33):
residential acre on the Plumb Island Turnpike and possibly go
where they would get forested acreage where there might be
you know, animal species to preserve and things. And so
we are still looking for that to be that has
excited us that we could also.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
So let me let me let me break this down
a little bit so I can understand it, because if
I can't understand that, my audience won't understand it. So
you're still working on again. Your phrase is a land
trade where you or your group or someone from your group,
whether the group itself would basically get the house as
(15:11):
it exists and the land, the one acre of land
on which it exists. The house would not move, the
house would stay in location, and obviously you might be
able to fix it up a little bit. And where
would you find this more expansive acreage that you think
(15:32):
the government might be willing to trade for the pink
house and the land on which the pink.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
House sets well. Originally, when they came to us in
this last time that I mentioned, they the real tea
chief said, we'll provide the land if you prepare the
house for being traded, which we did. It took about
eighteen months, and we funded it with donor donations and
utilized many many professionals in the area because so many
people know what this house means to the area. That
(16:00):
we had just everybody pitching in, which was wonderful. And
in the last moment.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Let me ask you this, rachel Rachelle, did that give
you folks for some period of time and opportunity to
have access to the house and to make improvements and
all of that.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Answers great question. No, even while I have been in
there and we have a building advisor who's gone in
every year several times until the last couple of years
to check for wellness after you know, storms and after
winter and seeing that it was still holding up, we
were not allowed to make any improvements, although everybody did
(16:39):
offer money, donated materials and time, but again said we
owned that is you know, they have processes where you
know they would do. You know, that would be something
they would do. And by the way, if it does
get traded, which is what we hope, it would become
fully restored, completely restored and usable inside out. So it
(17:00):
really is do you have.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
A piece of property now that do you? As I
understand it that if and we get to the governor
in a moment, if the government hadn't interceded, there could
have been a problem. Do you have a parcel of
property acreage significant substantial acreage that it's in front of
them now as an offer to trade or no?
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Yes, actually, although it is not. It was something that
the Fish and Wildlife Realty Department, you know, was to provide.
We did give turn in many we might as well
look for acreage, and we did turn in many parcels.
And right now because the governors seely stepped in and
(17:45):
prevented the house from being demolished in the nick of time.
It is so fortunate and we so appreciate that Fish
and Wildlife agreed to just reopen to discussion about any possibilities.
And we did find seven new pieces of land to
add to the others, so both are going to be reconsidered.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
So how many acres or how many properties and do
you have currently on your side.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
Of the.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Table here to offer to the government.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Yeah, Well, because we were asked to select the best fits,
I'd say about fourteen of them, and then we know
that there were some state lands looked for with the
introduction of the government's amazing and excellent staff.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Okay, well again, what I'm trying to do here is
ask you questions that you can give me more specific
answers to have there been people in your group who
have said, gee, I own three or four acres over here,
I would be more than happy to donate it as
part of a land swap. Or what's the source of
the acreage that you apparently have available to trade to
(18:59):
the government for this house.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I know you want me to answer succinctly, and you
ask questions that are complicated, so bear with me. There
are many in the community and in this region who
you know did come forward. Not all of them were
good fits. We went around and spoke to people with
their specific criteria in mind, who were neighbors who people
know of the Pink House, wanted to support the arts
(19:25):
in the community and did offer their land. It wouldn't
be a donation they it is that had a restoration
partner who's been around for five years, willing to buy
any land in the country that fish and wildlife would
identify or want and trade it for that, and then
he would own the house and restore it on his own,
(19:46):
time fully and completely in and out.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
So this donor, and again I'm just trying to make
sure I understand it, this donor is willing to You're
not going to local neighbors or residents of the Plumb
Island area and asking them to donate money to donate acreage.
You're saying, would you be willing to sell that parcel
(20:11):
of land to and and get get paid for the
parcel of land, which then the donor would assemble and
trade for the land for the for the Yes.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
And the great thing is that everybody wins here. The
great thing is anybody who would do that with her
land would then have the benefit of that land being
perpetually conserved by fish and wildlife yew. Great is all that?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Yeah? It is. Now. You came very close to the
to the to the midnight hour and and Governor Healy
got involved. We're going to talk when we get back
with breaking for News. Now, We're going to talk briefly
about the governor's involvement. And I want to know before
we go to phone calls. We do have phone call
is on the line. I want to be considered a
(20:59):
there time. I want to know how quickly you think
this situation will be resolved. You're as close to it
as anyone, and so I'm looking for you to give
me some indication of how you think it's going to
get resolved and somewhat of a timeframe. Will we This
has been a long battle over years now, fifteen years,
(21:20):
uh and I want to get your your idea uh
as to as to when it when it might get resolved.
I'll be back with my guest, Rochelle Joseph. She's the
president of a group called Support the Pink House. It
is not a simple story, as you can tell, but
I'm trying to break it down as best I can
for me to understand it, and f you two as
(21:41):
well if you'd like to join the conversation. The only
lines I have open are six one, seven, nine, three,
one ten thirty. The six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten line ten thirty lines are full. We will get
to those callers, I promise, be patient. We'll get to
you quickly, as quickly as possible. Right after the news
break at the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
On Nightside with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
We're talking about the Pink House up on Plumb Island,
actually in Newbury, in the town of Newbury with us
as Rochelle Joseph. She's the president of a group called
Support the Pink House. If you want more information, their
website is support the Pink House dot com, or if
you want to support their cause, we will give that
website out a couple of times between now and ten o'clock.
(22:27):
Let me if I can try to wrap our portion
of the interview here, and I want to get the
phone calls as quickly as I can. Rochelle, and the
question I have is you you now hope that the
Pink House can be saved, and you're optimistic because of
Governor Healy's involvement, you're going to need federal support on
(22:49):
this as well. Has anyone reached out to the incoming administration,
Maybe maybe the Trump administration. I think the new Department
of the Interior, there'll be a new secretary. I have
no idea if your Fisheries and Wildlife if as a
federal agency under what cabinet position that's under. But this
(23:10):
might be a way in which the Trump administration coming
in the door might be able to take a second
and a fresh look at this and work in conjunction
with the Healy administration and bring a conclusion to this
that would delight your supporters and also be good for
the taxpayers. Are you all hopeful that we can push
(23:31):
this forward that way?
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Well, anything's possible that I think decisions have to be
made to go forward for a landswap much sooner than that,
and the house needs to be secured for the winter
very very quickly, and it really would be a win
for a fish and wildlife and in the region and everyone.
So we are hopeful that that will go forward. We
(23:54):
have the support of the governor and Senator Bruce Tarr
and Rep. Kristen Kasner, all the mean the leaders of
the surrounding towns and where we have worked with Congress
and Moulton and Senators Marquee and Warren on this along
the way.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
And with that, with that firepower, I think you're you're
you're going to be guaranteed success in this. Let's go
to phone calls. Six four ten thirty is the number. UH.
If you have a question, feel free, If you have
a comment, feel free. No speech is necessary. Heather in Haveril, Heather,
you have first this hour. Appreciate your patients. Go right ahead.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
I just wanted to call just to kind of understate
the importance of keeping the house I grew up in
the report. Basically, the to me, the house adds depth
and character to an already breathtaking landscape. You instantly know
where you are when you see the house in any
(24:53):
shot or painting, it's you instantly know where you are.
You're taken right there to that spot, the mini you
see the house, the silhouette. It transports you not only
there in your mind, but to Summer's past, spent living
out your childhood on plum Island beaches. She's the gatekeeper
to the beach. She's the receptionist to the therapist, and
(25:15):
I think it's the nostalgia, the familiarity in an ever
changing world and the scary world that think us to
her firmly and the hurry.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
You're referred to as the pink House.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
Correct, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Good, okay, Heather, thank you very much for your call.
Very interesting perspective. Let me go to Michael, who says
he is a selectman from Salisbury, Massachusetts. Michael, I want
to introduce yourself.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Oh yes, Dans Michael Colburn, Salisbury's selectment cheer and I
just wanted her spress uh full support on the Pink
House as the Salisbury Board, which you know, Dan, Salisbury's
right across the river from Newbury and the Pink House
is part of our part of our skyline. And there's
a kid that grew up in this area. You know,
(26:05):
the last car was right, it's part of our childhood
going to Palm Island. It was like the gatekeeper, you know,
every kid knew they were gonna have a great time
at Palm Island. So the board has wrote in support
the report. City Council wrote support Ainsbury's City Council Newbury
City I mean select board, all all the local officials,
we all have talked about this, and we all have
(26:27):
full support behind the Pink House, and we love everything
that the group is doing, and they're right on this
site and we all stand behind them.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Michael, let me ask you a question, as an elected official,
why do you think the US Fish and Wildlife Service
seems to have dug their heels in and this particularly
in recent years. Normally, when you have as much political
firepower as Rachelle just you know, listed, as well as
(26:57):
the support of folks like yourself from the town of Salisbury,
why are you surprised that that this federal agency just
seems to be unwilling to to move in your direction?
Speaker 4 (27:14):
Ah, yes, it is. It's very disheartening because there's no
there's no real game for what they're doing. Their argument,
their argument, and all the meetings we have had is
that they're trying to re establish wildlife. Well, Rochelle and
her group have gave her way more acres than this
one acres. I mean, I think Rochelle at one point
(27:34):
was up the Hunter Acres. So there. The Pink House
has done everything like kids. So it's sometimes, you know,
when I listen to some of the people from the wildlife.
It's kind of the coming off very pickhead and not
open minded to the community.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Well, the thing that's interesting is that the elected officials,
it sounds to me like, are all behind this, and
the folks who were preventing the Pink House from being
restored are not elected by anybody. They're they're you know,
they're bureaucrats, and it's just it's interesting to me that
(28:12):
you know, if if if the if the population there,
if the people didn't want uh, didn't support the pink House,
and if the the elected officials didn't support the Pink House,
I would understand that. What perplexes me is that with
that much political support uh the uh the Rachelle mentioned,
you know, Congressman Moulton and Governor Healy, and you know
(28:35):
that's I believe it's Seth Moulton's district and and he's
as good a congressman as there is. I had him
on the show on on Wednesday night on it or
last night actually on a on other issues. The election.
It just it's always difficult when you have to go
up against this big behemoth of government. There were a
bunch of houses down in Provincetown last summer, which they
(28:59):
wanted to take, which had been owned by families for years,
and for no reason. That's what I was frustrated to
find out that there is hasn't seen to me to
be some reason here. You know that that this it's
it's it's frustrating not to quite understand what they're what
the government's position is, or the fishing wildlife. The government
(29:22):
officials seemed like yourself, seem to be supportive. Appreciate you call, Michael.
It's good to hear from you.
Speaker 4 (29:26):
Thank you, Okay, thank you, Dan, You're very welcome.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
We'll take quick break back with my guest Michelle Joseph.
More phone calls. We'll take as many as we can
between now and ten o'clock and again the website if
you're interested in This is not a simple story. It's
a complicated story, but it's a story that at its
at its core, I think it's pretty clear that there's
a lot of people of goodwill who are trying to
(29:50):
do the right thing here. And I've seen nothing in
any of the government releases I've read them that has
has given me any anything to hold hang my hat
on and say, hey, this house is you know, it's
it's an attractive nuisance, or it's leaking, there's oil that's leaking,
or it's nothing anyway. The website is support the Pink
(30:13):
House dot Com. Back on night died right after this.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
to Night Side Studios. I'm WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
My guess is Michelle Joson. She's the president of Support
the Pink House dot Com. Got a bunch of calls.
I'd like to get to as many people as possible. Debra,
you've been very patient. You're next on Nightside with Rachelle
Joseph Garrett ahead. Okay, if Debra's not ready, we will
move past Deborah and we'll move to our next call
and put Deborah on hold, and maybe we'll come back
(30:45):
to Debora in the moment. Let me go to Margie
and the Catskills. Margie and the Catskills, You're next on Nightside, Margie.
Garret ahead.
Speaker 6 (30:52):
Yes, I have almost forty years experience working in a
house that's been preserved, and I thought I heard it
from the start, but I have some very specific questions.
What is the year the house was built? Twenty four diogs.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Nineteen twenty four is the year the house was built?
Speaker 6 (31:14):
And what style?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
I don't know that answer. Maybe, Rochelle, can you characterize
the house its style? Rochelle, yes, it is.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
Are you hearing me? Yes?
Speaker 2 (31:29):
I hear you. Yeah. You want to get you off speakerphone,
don't please, Rochelle, if that's possible.
Speaker 7 (31:33):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
It's an American forest square, I believe. And it is
unique in that you can see it from all four sides.
And the cupola also makes it quite unique.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Okay, And you can look up by the way, Margie,
if you want to see a picture of you, just
go to the website's right.
Speaker 6 (31:48):
I have the question decades experience of working with historic
societies and working with this, what does the woman think
is the major reason for preserving it?
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Well, Margie, I'll tell you we've talked about this for
an hour. What I'm going to suggest is a couple
of things to simplify things here. You're pretty good if
I recall on the computer, just go to support the
Pink House dot com. Also tomorrow you could listen to
the entire interview. Rochelle and I have talked about it
for about forty minutes. I suspect you've joined us a
(32:24):
little late.
Speaker 6 (32:25):
Yeah, I didn't join you late. But I just want
to make one point with the very dedicated woman. Unless
the house has historic significance to the time period, there's
very little.
Speaker 4 (32:40):
Hope for it.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Well, I think that she would argue that there is
historic significance to the time period.
Speaker 6 (32:46):
Good.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
And that's a pretty subjective judgment. What might be historic
to you and me and to Rose Rochelle might not
be historic to some bureaucrat with the Fisheries and US
Fish and Wildlife Service.
Speaker 6 (33:02):
Margine, I would immediately discard the Fish and Wildlife. That's
a terrible designation.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Okay, Margie. What you might do is go to the
website and there's a way to get in contact with Rochelle.
And if you could be of any help to this cause,
I'm sure she would appreciate it.
Speaker 8 (33:21):
Okay, goodbye, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
Margie, have a great night. Let me go next to
I don't know if Debra's back. Let's is Debrah still back?
Is she still there? Okay? Fine, dever will try a
second time. You there now?
Speaker 9 (33:32):
Yeah, I am, I'm righty here. Thank you. Thanks for
covering this too. I was gonna say for me, I'm
a little bit different because I don't live in the community.
I'm in Chelmford, mass same place as Nibbe the beaver
that Marray Hally also helped them keep in place at
their rescue here that it was really nice thing.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
That was probably an easier task for the governor. I
think she had more control over that than this.
Speaker 9 (33:57):
Property, but go ahead, definitely, But it was very exciting
to see her get involved in this also. And I
was at a rally for the Pink Houst the other
like a couple of weeks ago, and Thundered Attire was there,
and you know, there are a lot of people that
I've seen from the Facebook group and different thing that
you know, I see online and I see the photographs
and pictures and paintings and you know, and it was
(34:21):
nice to meet some person.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
We're getting tied on time. What is your question or comment?
Speaker 9 (34:28):
Mine is just I think it's worth saving. You know,
you can just walk through downtown Newberry Point and you
see the Pink House everywhere. You see it on coasters
and t shirts and pottery and you know, paintings and
photographs and it's just such a big part of the
community that you know, I just when I'm bored. I
just drive there and look at it. I recently went
there to see the Aurora borealis and you know, there
(34:50):
are a bunch of us were all there photographing and
it was just amazing and I just can't imagine it
not being there.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Okay, Well, thank you very much for your for your
support on that. And by the way, Gustar is probably
one of the hardest working state senators in Massachusetts, concerned
about local issues, and he's done, as I understand it,
a great job on this. Deborah, thank you so much.
I just got to get a couple more calls in here.
Speaker 9 (35:13):
Hi, right, thank you.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Thanks. Let me go to David and Newburyport. David, you're
next on Night Side.
Speaker 8 (35:19):
Go right ahead, Yeah, Hello, this is David. Are you
Are you with me?
Speaker 2 (35:25):
Yes? And more importantly, you're with us, David Ram, the
host of the show when you were in the air,
Go right.
Speaker 8 (35:31):
Ahead, Hill, Hi Dan. Yet, I'm David and I live
in Newburyport on Plumb Island, and I just have to
speak in a more focused fashion and that it's much
more than history. It's a it's part of our community
really big time. I drive by it every day, as
many people do. And and uh, to see it David
and Goliath event take place like this is really sad.
(35:56):
I'm very sadden. Every time I go by speaking, I
would be.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
I would be, I would be hardened in the sense
that you have a group of people and they sound
very dedicated listening to Rochelle today, who have joined together,
and it is a David and Goliath battle. And yeah,
sometimes David wins these things. You know you will win this.
Speaker 8 (36:16):
I hope, well hope in place of David, it's really Rochelle.
She's been with us from the get go, and she's
been very patient and very collegial, and very politically attuned
to the different people that let me just add Bruce
Tarr indeed to some extent, has been involved and a
proponent of keeping it. However, I will speak as a
(36:39):
as a citizen, as a businessman, and as an artist. Uh,
it's been just dead space talking to all the politicians
that we elected. They've not stepped up. They've had deaf years.
And I don't want to be nasty about it, but
I'm just oh.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
That's okay, it's good. It's it's good to hear. And
again they need to work a little harder David, I
have one more'd like to get in. I appreciate your
call very much. Thanks, thanks for joining the chorus tonight.
Thank you. Let's go to Jeff and West Newbury. Jeff,
you've just called in. I give you about thirty seconds.
If you can do something with it, go ahead.
Speaker 7 (37:18):
Yeah, Hey day, Dan, thanks for taking me on the call.
So I'm one of the board members. And a couple
quick things. One is the fish and wildlife. The reason
why they're saying they need to take it down is
that their big excuse has been that it's filled with
asbestos and lead paint, and just to be clear, as
we've talked about, that's already been all mitigated, so that
excuse is kind of gone now now been it's just
not responsible for them to maintain a house. That's not
(37:41):
what they want to do. They want to take it
down and preserve that acre. It's one acre. Now the
house has been approved has been a praise for four
hundred and twenty five thousand dollars. So the swap that
Rachelle and you guys have been talking about at one
thousand dollars an acre that equals four hundred and twenty
five eight that they could trade it for which is
(38:02):
ecologically important land. So at the end of the day,
the most important thing to think about is from their
mission and what they're trying to do. The question is
it more important to save one acre of upland it's
on a busy road, or swap it somewhere for the
equivalent of four hundred and twenty five acres.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Oh okay. Unfortunately, unfortunately, Jeff, we're going to have to
leave it at that point. I wish you'd called earlier
because I could have given you much more time. But
the news await, so I'm going to laugh to say
thanks very much. I think we understand your point. Appreciate it. Rochelle,
thank you very much. The website is support the pink
House dot com. Best of luck. I hope you prevail.
(38:39):
But I like these sort of issues because it is
always again, whether you call it a David and Goliath
or fighting city Hall, we're on your side. Thank you
very much for having joined us tonight.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
Thank you, Dan.
Speaker 3 (38:53):
We hope it's a win for all.
Speaker 8 (38:54):
Appreciate it's hope.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
Let's hope. Thank you very much. When we come back,
we're going to talk to a question that's maybe as interesting,
but a little less contentious, and that is Christmas creep.
Do we start to celebrate Christmas around here a little
too early? We'll talk about that on the other side
of the ten o'clock News
It's night Side with Dan Ray WBZ Constance new video.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Okay, I assume that many of you, maybe not everyone,
but many of you in our audience have heard about
this effort up on Plum Island, actually physically in Newbury
not Newburyport, but in Newbury, Massachusetts, which is a different community,
about a house that is called the Pink House. And
(00:31):
we have been in touch with a group called Support
the Pink House. If you've heard the story or read
about it and haven't focused on the details, while you're
in luck, because tonight we have the president of the
group Support the Pink House with us. Her name is
Rochelle Joseph and Rochelle welcome to Nightside. How are you tonight?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Oh? Just great, Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
You're very welcome. Now, Rochelle, let me just start off
with some basic questions. How long has this battle and
it's a battle to save the Pink House. How long
has this battle been going on? How many years?
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Well, the effort certainly has been going on for We're
in our ninth year and we've been working with fish
and wildlife and municipal, state and federal elected officials.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Well, this this, this is not a simple story. So
we're gonna we're gonna break it all down here. But
how long have you been involved in this? You're the
president of the group, so I'm assuming that you probably
were there at the beginning.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
I was with uh uh, you know most of the
people on the board also and uh yeah, so we.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
We what why is it? Why is it important to
save this property. We're going to describe the property. We'll
get to the history and all of that, but just
as a as a starting point in our converse station,
why is it important that this property, which is not
in good condition at this point? I think everyone acknowledges
those are different reasons. Why is it important that this
(02:11):
piece of this house, which has stood there now for
nearly one hundred years correct saved, be saved and not
torn down.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Well, it's a wonderful question and a really important one.
Besides that, it is a hasard matter of meaning and
generational memories for many, many people. I mean there's tens
of thousands of people who are supporting this across the
region and in the state and beyond. It's an economic
driver as well. It brings people to the area. It's
(02:40):
a tourist or visitor draw and people then stay shop,
you know, eat rent and all. And it's also an
artists muse. Many artists come out here, whether they're photographers, writers, painters,
and have been so inspired by it, similar to the
Motif number one, which is considered one of the most
photographs structures, you know, in the country.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I want you to know, I may be the only
person listening tonight, but I don't know what motif number
one is. And since you brought it up, why don't
you tell me?
Speaker 3 (03:12):
I will be you know. Yeah, some of the things
that make you know, like the Citco sign, the Numble
Lighthouse in York, the.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Very very if you had said the Citco sign, Rochelle,
I would have known what you were talking about immediately. Okay,
So this.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Is filing in Rockport, right on the sea coast, and
it's charming and just something that is an identifier of
the area. And the Pink House with its unique silhouette,
and when you see that silhouette you know where you are.
It is. It is incredibly it's an identifier for this area.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Now, just the history of the Pink House. Let's let's
let's establish the history here. We're doing it sequentially so
people can follow along. Built in nineteen twenty four and
I read some article that it was called at one
point the spite House because it built for by a
man who had going through a divorce. And the tale
(04:06):
and I don't know that this has ever been neil
down but his wife, his ex wife, insisted that he
would build a perfect specification of the house that they
had lived in. How much truth is.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
That to that? Well, you know, it's an urban legend.
We have had, you know, our our board, Sandy Tilton
and Allison Oldele who did deep dives into you know,
Sandy certainly worked for tell us about I'd like to.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
Know more about I'd love to know more about Sandy Tilton.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Tell us about him. Uh, Well, Sandy and and Alison
Elison who's founded the group. Uh. You know, Sandy is
a nature photographer in the area, very very well known.
She she you know, has great family history here originally
from Ipswich, and she's just got her ear to the ground,
knows everyone and is very passionate about community and about
(05:00):
the region and about nature and is very invested in
you know, the refuge in the fish and wildlife as
we all are, and as well as in this house.
Is you know, has been something that she along with
the other five of us and several volunteers and many
Is there anyone else in the.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Group that you'd like to mention, because I'd like to
get their names out and then we can we can
move on back to the house. Who else in the
group would you like to give it?
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Not to give everyone such justice, I.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Really want to. I want to focus more on the cause.
But please, let's let's give as many names as you'd like.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Go right ahead, certainly. Well again, Alison Olvi is our founder.
She and and then there is Sandy Tilton, as I mentioned,
a board member, Jeff Ackley who's also a board member,
and Kelly Page. So they are the four of us,
and Kelly, you know, worked very hard on our preservation restriction,
(05:55):
and everybody pitches in and wears many, many hats.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Okay, let's get is there someone else you'd like to mention?
That's fine, Okay, good, let's get back to the pink house,
because I think people want to focus on the that
aspect of the story. So I asked you and you
said it was sort.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Of a light house. Yeah, So let me tell you
that anybody who's interested can go on our website at www.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
What I'm going to do, if it's okay with you,
I will give you plenty of chance to mention the website. Okay,
So what I'd like to do with your cooperation is
it like to focus on the story of the Pink
House so people who do not live near you understand
what we're going to be talking about. So I'm going
to take a break. I'm just going to reorganize here
(06:43):
and we're going to come back so that people can
understand why the Pink House has become so important to
the community and what efforts are being made to save
the Pink House against a lot of opposition from the
federal government. You've gotten some help from Governor Healey. We're
(07:03):
going to get into all of this.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Okay, And I would like to address the Spite House
and that that is a complete urban legend that I
would that.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Was why that actually that actually, to be honest with you, Rochelle,
was why I asked you. And somehow we got a
little sidetracked on the membership of the board. So I'm
glad that everybody has had an acknowledgment. And when we
get back from this commercial break, we'll go right to
the Pink House, and uh, and and and tell the
story of the Pink House, how it got to the
(07:33):
state of disrepair that is in today, and what is
being done to try to save it, and and and
the battle that is being fought, because that's the story
that I want my audience to know about. Okay, Uh,
that's that's what is the important element of our conversation.
And we'll take a break. We'll regroup and we'll be
back right after this break on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
night Side Studios. I'm w News Radio.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
We're talking with Rochelle Joseph. She is the head of
an organization called Support the Pink House. Some of you
have read about this in newspapers, so we're gonna go
back and Rochelle tells us that the origin of the
Pink House in nineteen twenty four is still in some dispute,
so we'll leave that alone. This house was occupied, Rochelle,
(08:25):
from my reading of it, up until probably around twenty ten.
And at that point the last family who lived there
moved away, as I understand it, and they sold it.
Who was it sold to?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
In twenty ten, it was sold to the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service, right.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Okay, so that's how they got involved in it. Now,
this home is on a parcel of land. It's not
in what we would consider a traditional neighborhood. But you
mentioned to me there's there's, there's, there are houses across
the road, and it runs by it's very close to
a major road when people are driving into Plumb Island.
(09:09):
Is that correct?
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (09:11):
Yes, it is a residential acre and it's right on
and in fact, it belonged to several parcels of acres.
But it's got a dozen or more homes across the
street and Bob Lobster, who is a great lobster place,
And there's a municipal are there's an airport actually that
is considered one of the oldest in the country right
next to it. So it's really not in the middle
(09:33):
of the refuge.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Okay, fair enough. The US Fish and Wildlife Services, I
understand that initially wanted to perhaps use it as a
headquarters or as a place where maybe people could stay.
But apparently they concluded that it had fallen into significant disrepair.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
But but I'd like to speak to that, if I may,
I ask you what I'm going.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
To do what I'm going to do. Actually, Rachelle, I
was beginning to formulate a question. So if you'll just
let me lead the dance here, I promise you you're
going to get everything in As they started to mention
the Wildlife Service as again I'm reading from an article
in the Business Insider.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
From yeah, which is not very accurate.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
Well, I'm very much in favor of accuracy as well.
But what I'm trying to do is ask questions, as
I mentioned to you today, to which I want you
to be responsive. I'm not here to cross examine you.
I'm basically trying to conduct a direct examination. And if
if you'll stick with the questions and respond to the questions,
(10:42):
we will I guarantee you at the end of the
hour have told the story effectively and you'll be able
to I'm sure, generate some more support for for your
effort to save the ping House. So the US Fish
and Wildlife Service came to the conclusion, I guess this
as bestis or whatever. Uh, it is not direct question.
(11:03):
It is not at this point in a livable condition. Correct.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
All of his contaminants, which were not as bad as projected,
did get remediated, So it is no danger to anything.
And the house itself is quite sound. The bones are wonderful,
the walls and the windows are straight, the roof is great,
no cracks in the foundation. And that is a misconception
(11:29):
that it's just really important for your listeners to know.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Okay, So that's fine, So you would dispute the characterization
that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has made, and
you actually, as I understand it, found they put it
up for sale recently, and as I understand it, there
(11:55):
was no bid to purchase it from the thing.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
It was an auction the federal One of the problems
here and why it's taken so long, is that the
house can't be sold. Typically it is no longer a
typical residential house because it's owned by the federal government.
So really the reason we've been working on land trade
is that they can only you know, one of the
limited ways in which it can be freed from their
(12:19):
ownership is through land swath, which actually is the most
beneficial to them.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
So in terms of I'm going to I'm going to
get to that in a second. What happened at the auction?
Why was there no one did they put a reserve
on the auction? Did they say that.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Yeah, the auction was for the house only and not
the land, So that was one issue. It was logistically
and cost prohibitive. Anybody who really looked into it as
deeply as we did realize that there's quite a bit
of limitation for moving it. And secondly, most people did
not know that the location is is iconic as the
(12:57):
house itself, and nobody really wanted see it moved, and
so they learned. You know, that was what was learned
in the thirty day period.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Just so I understand and my audience understands, there was
an effort by the government to sell the house at
an auction, but an aspect of the requirement of the
auction is that the house also would have been had
to have been moved off the property.
Speaker 3 (13:23):
Correct, correct, Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
All right. So now you've been working on a plan
most recently as I understand it, and if I'm wrong,
feel to feel free to correct me, in which you
have come up with a proposal which would involve a
land swap. How would that work? And why has the
government not been willing to participate in the proposal that
(13:48):
you folks have made.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Well, we have been working on a few different deals.
I guess you'd call it with the uf fision while life.
That's what we've been doing over the eight years. We
worked for three and a half years or so on
one landslap proposal that kind of fell through it the
eleventh hour, which is really a shame. And then the
(14:11):
Fish and Wildlife Real Pea came to us again a
couple of years ago and said it would be so
beneficial for their mission to trade this acre because they
can because of the difference in price of marshaker, they
can get up to hundreds of acre acres in return
for the trade, and so it would be so beneficial
for them to take this acre, which really is a
(14:33):
residential acre on the Plumb Island Turnpike and possibly go
where they would get forested acreage where there might be
you know, animal species to preserve and things. And so
we are still looking for that to be that has
excited us that we could also.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
So let me let me let me break this down
a little bit so I can understand it, because if
I can't understand that, my audience won't understand it. So
you're still working on again. Your phrase is a land
trade where you or your group or someone from your group,
whether the group itself would basically get the house as
(15:11):
it exists and the land, the one acre of land
on which it exists. The house would not move, the
house would stay in location, and obviously you might be
able to fix it up a little bit. And where
would you find this more expansive acreage that you think
(15:32):
the government might be willing to trade for the pink
house and the land on which the pink.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
House sets well. Originally, when they came to us in
this last time that I mentioned, they the real tea
chief said, we'll provide the land if you prepare the
house for being traded, which we did. It took about
eighteen months, and we funded it with donor donations and
utilized many many professionals in the area because so many
people know what this house means to the area. That
(16:00):
we had just everybody pitching in, which was wonderful. And
in the last moment.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Let me ask you this, rachel Rachelle, did that give
you folks for some period of time and opportunity to
have access to the house and to make improvements and
all of that.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
Answers great question. No, even while I have been in
there and we have a building advisor who's gone in
every year several times until the last couple of years
to check for wellness after you know, storms and after
winter and seeing that it was still holding up, we
were not allowed to make any improvements, although everybody did
(16:39):
offer money, donated materials and time, but again said we
owned that is you know, they have processes where you
know they would do. You know, that would be something
they would do. And by the way, if it does
get traded, which is what we hope, it would become
fully restored, completely restored and usable inside out. So it
(17:00):
really is do you have.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
A piece of property now that do you? As I
understand it that if and we get to the governor
in a moment, if the government hadn't interceded, there could
have been a problem. Do you have a parcel of
property acreage significant substantial acreage that it's in front of
them now as an offer to trade or no?
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Yes, actually, although it is not. It was something that
the Fish and Wildlife Realty Department, you know, was to provide.
We did give turn in many we might as well
look for acreage, and we did turn in many parcels.
And right now because the governors seely stepped in and
(17:45):
prevented the house from being demolished in the nick of time.
It is so fortunate and we so appreciate that Fish
and Wildlife agreed to just reopen to discussion about any possibilities.
And we did find seven new pieces of land to
add to the others, so both are going to be reconsidered.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
So how many acres or how many properties and do
you have currently on your side.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
Of the.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Table here to offer to the government.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Yeah, Well, because we were asked to select the best fits,
I'd say about fourteen of them, and then we know
that there were some state lands looked for with the
introduction of the government's amazing and excellent staff.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Okay, well again, what I'm trying to do here is
ask you questions that you can give me more specific
answers to have there been people in your group who
have said, gee, I own three or four acres over here,
I would be more than happy to donate it as
part of a land swap. Or what's the source of
the acreage that you apparently have available to trade to
(18:59):
the government for this house.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I know you want me to answer succinctly, and you
ask questions that are complicated, so bear with me. There
are many in the community and in this region who
you know did come forward. Not all of them were
good fits. We went around and spoke to people with
their specific criteria in mind, who were neighbors who people
know of the Pink House, wanted to support the arts
(19:25):
in the community and did offer their land. It wouldn't
be a donation they it is that had a restoration
partner who's been around for five years, willing to buy
any land in the country that fish and wildlife would
identify or want and trade it for that, and then
he would own the house and restore it on his own,
(19:46):
time fully and completely in and out.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
So this donor, and again I'm just trying to make
sure I understand it, this donor is willing to You're
not going to local neighbors or residents of the Plumb
Island area and asking them to donate money to donate acreage.
You're saying, would you be willing to sell that parcel
(20:11):
of land to and and get get paid for the
parcel of land, which then the donor would assemble and
trade for the land for the for the Yes.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
And the great thing is that everybody wins here. The
great thing is anybody who would do that with her
land would then have the benefit of that land being
perpetually conserved by fish and wildlife yew. Great is all that?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Yeah? It is. Now. You came very close to the
to the to the midnight hour and and Governor Healy
got involved. We're going to talk when we get back
with breaking for News. Now, We're going to talk briefly
about the governor's involvement. And I want to know before
we go to phone calls. We do have phone call
is on the line. I want to be considered a
(20:59):
there time. I want to know how quickly you think
this situation will be resolved. You're as close to it
as anyone, and so I'm looking for you to give
me some indication of how you think it's going to
get resolved and somewhat of a timeframe. Will we This
has been a long battle over years now, fifteen years,
(21:20):
uh and I want to get your your idea uh
as to as to when it when it might get resolved.
I'll be back with my guest, Rochelle Joseph. She's the
president of a group called Support the Pink House. It
is not a simple story, as you can tell, but
I'm trying to break it down as best I can
for me to understand it, and f you two as
(21:41):
well if you'd like to join the conversation. The only
lines I have open are six one, seven, nine, three,
one ten thirty. The six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten line ten thirty lines are full. We will get
to those callers, I promise, be patient. We'll get to
you quickly, as quickly as possible. Right after the news
break at the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
On Nightside with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
We're talking about the Pink House up on Plumb Island,
actually in Newbury, in the town of Newbury with us
as Rochelle Joseph. She's the president of a group called
Support the Pink House. If you want more information, their
website is support the Pink House dot com, or if
you want to support their cause, we will give that
website out a couple of times between now and ten o'clock.
(22:27):
Let me if I can try to wrap our portion
of the interview here, and I want to get the
phone calls as quickly as I can. Rochelle, and the
question I have is you you now hope that the
Pink House can be saved, and you're optimistic because of
Governor Healy's involvement, you're going to need federal support on
(22:49):
this as well. Has anyone reached out to the incoming administration,
Maybe maybe the Trump administration. I think the new Department
of the Interior, there'll be a new secretary. I have
no idea if your Fisheries and Wildlife if as a
federal agency under what cabinet position that's under. But this
(23:10):
might be a way in which the Trump administration coming
in the door might be able to take a second
and a fresh look at this and work in conjunction
with the Healy administration and bring a conclusion to this
that would delight your supporters and also be good for
the taxpayers. Are you all hopeful that we can push
(23:31):
this forward that way?
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Well, anything's possible that I think decisions have to be
made to go forward for a landswap much sooner than that,
and the house needs to be secured for the winter
very very quickly, and it really would be a win
for a fish and wildlife and in the region and everyone.
So we are hopeful that that will go forward. We
(23:54):
have the support of the governor and Senator Bruce Tarr
and Rep. Kristen Kasner, all the mean the leaders of
the surrounding towns and where we have worked with Congress
and Moulton and Senators Marquee and Warren on this along
the way.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
And with that, with that firepower, I think you're you're
you're going to be guaranteed success in this. Let's go
to phone calls. Six four ten thirty is the number. UH.
If you have a question, feel free, If you have
a comment, feel free. No speech is necessary. Heather in Haveril, Heather,
you have first this hour. Appreciate your patients. Go right ahead.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
I just wanted to call just to kind of understate
the importance of keeping the house I grew up in
the report. Basically, the to me, the house adds depth
and character to an already breathtaking landscape. You instantly know
where you are when you see the house in any
(24:53):
shot or painting, it's you instantly know where you are.
You're taken right there to that spot, the mini you
see the house, the silhouette. It transports you not only
there in your mind, but to Summer's past, spent living
out your childhood on plum Island beaches. She's the gatekeeper
to the beach. She's the receptionist to the therapist, and
(25:15):
I think it's the nostalgia, the familiarity in an ever
changing world and the scary world that think us to
her firmly and the hurry.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
You're referred to as the pink House.
Speaker 4 (25:29):
Correct, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Good, okay, Heather, thank you very much for your call.
Very interesting perspective. Let me go to Michael, who says
he is a selectman from Salisbury, Massachusetts. Michael, I want
to introduce yourself.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
Oh yes, Dans Michael Colburn, Salisbury's selectment cheer and I
just wanted her spress uh full support on the Pink
House as the Salisbury Board, which you know, Dan, Salisbury's
right across the river from Newbury and the Pink House
is part of our part of our skyline. And there's
a kid that grew up in this area. You know,
(26:05):
the last car was right, it's part of our childhood
going to Palm Island. It was like the gatekeeper, you know,
every kid knew they were gonna have a great time
at Palm Island. So the board has wrote in support
the report. City Council wrote support Ainsbury's City Council Newbury
City I mean select board, all all the local officials,
we all have talked about this, and we all have
(26:27):
full support behind the Pink House, and we love everything
that the group is doing, and they're right on this
site and we all stand behind them.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Michael, let me ask you a question, as an elected official,
why do you think the US Fish and Wildlife Service
seems to have dug their heels in and this particularly
in recent years. Normally, when you have as much political
firepower as Rachelle just you know, listed, as well as
(26:57):
the support of folks like yourself from the town of Salisbury,
why are you surprised that that this federal agency just
seems to be unwilling to to move in your direction?
Speaker 4 (27:14):
Ah, yes, it is. It's very disheartening because there's no
there's no real game for what they're doing. Their argument,
their argument, and all the meetings we have had is
that they're trying to re establish wildlife. Well, Rochelle and
her group have gave her way more acres than this
one acres. I mean, I think Rochelle at one point
(27:34):
was up the Hunter Acres. So there. The Pink House
has done everything like kids. So it's sometimes, you know,
when I listen to some of the people from the wildlife.
It's kind of the coming off very pickhead and not
open minded to the community.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
Well, the thing that's interesting is that the elected officials,
it sounds to me like, are all behind this, and
the folks who were preventing the Pink House from being
restored are not elected by anybody. They're they're you know,
they're bureaucrats, and it's just it's interesting to me that
(28:12):
you know, if if if the if the population there,
if the people didn't want uh, didn't support the pink House,
and if the the elected officials didn't support the Pink House,
I would understand that. What perplexes me is that with
that much political support uh the uh the Rachelle mentioned,
you know, Congressman Moulton and Governor Healy, and you know
(28:35):
that's I believe it's Seth Moulton's district and and he's
as good a congressman as there is. I had him
on the show on on Wednesday night on it or
last night actually on a on other issues. The election.
It just it's always difficult when you have to go
up against this big behemoth of government. There were a
bunch of houses down in Provincetown last summer, which they
(28:59):
wanted to take, which had been owned by families for years,
and for no reason. That's what I was frustrated to
find out that there is hasn't seen to me to
be some reason here. You know that that this it's
it's it's frustrating not to quite understand what they're what
the government's position is, or the fishing wildlife. The government
(29:22):
officials seemed like yourself, seem to be supportive. Appreciate you call, Michael.
It's good to hear from you.
Speaker 4 (29:26):
Thank you, Okay, thank you, Dan, You're very welcome.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
We'll take quick break back with my guest Michelle Joseph.
More phone calls. We'll take as many as we can
between now and ten o'clock and again the website if
you're interested in This is not a simple story. It's
a complicated story, but it's a story that at its
at its core, I think it's pretty clear that there's
a lot of people of goodwill who are trying to
(29:50):
do the right thing here. And I've seen nothing in
any of the government releases I've read them that has
has given me any anything to hold hang my hat
on and say, hey, this house is you know, it's
it's an attractive nuisance, or it's leaking, there's oil that's leaking,
or it's nothing anyway. The website is support the Pink
(30:13):
House dot Com. Back on night died right after this.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
to Night Side Studios. I'm WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
My guess is Michelle Joson. She's the president of Support
the Pink House dot Com. Got a bunch of calls.
I'd like to get to as many people as possible. Debra,
you've been very patient. You're next on Nightside with Rachelle
Joseph Garrett ahead. Okay, if Debra's not ready, we will
move past Deborah and we'll move to our next call
and put Deborah on hold, and maybe we'll come back
(30:45):
to Debora in the moment. Let me go to Margie
and the Catskills. Margie and the Catskills, You're next on Nightside, Margie.
Garret ahead.
Speaker 6 (30:52):
Yes, I have almost forty years experience working in a
house that's been preserved, and I thought I heard it
from the start, but I have some very specific questions.
What is the year the house was built? Twenty four diogs.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Nineteen twenty four is the year the house was built?
Speaker 6 (31:14):
And what style?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
I don't know that answer. Maybe, Rochelle, can you characterize
the house its style? Rochelle, yes, it is.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
Are you hearing me? Yes?
Speaker 2 (31:29):
I hear you. Yeah. You want to get you off speakerphone,
don't please, Rochelle, if that's possible.
Speaker 7 (31:33):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
It's an American forest square, I believe. And it is
unique in that you can see it from all four sides.
And the cupola also makes it quite unique.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
Okay, And you can look up by the way, Margie,
if you want to see a picture of you, just
go to the website's right.
Speaker 6 (31:48):
I have the question decades experience of working with historic
societies and working with this, what does the woman think
is the major reason for preserving it?
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Well, Margie, I'll tell you we've talked about this for
an hour. What I'm going to suggest is a couple
of things to simplify things here. You're pretty good if
I recall on the computer, just go to support the
Pink House dot com. Also tomorrow you could listen to
the entire interview. Rochelle and I have talked about it
for about forty minutes. I suspect you've joined us a
(32:24):
little late.
Speaker 6 (32:25):
Yeah, I didn't join you late. But I just want
to make one point with the very dedicated woman. Unless
the house has historic significance to the time period, there's
very little.
Speaker 4 (32:40):
Hope for it.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Well, I think that she would argue that there is
historic significance to the time period.
Speaker 6 (32:46):
Good.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
And that's a pretty subjective judgment. What might be historic
to you and me and to Rose Rochelle might not
be historic to some bureaucrat with the Fisheries and US
Fish and Wildlife Service.
Speaker 6 (33:02):
Margine, I would immediately discard the Fish and Wildlife. That's
a terrible designation.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Okay, Margie. What you might do is go to the
website and there's a way to get in contact with Rochelle.
And if you could be of any help to this cause,
I'm sure she would appreciate it.
Speaker 8 (33:21):
Okay, goodbye, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
Margie, have a great night. Let me go next to
I don't know if Debra's back. Let's is Debrah still back?
Is she still there? Okay? Fine, dever will try a
second time. You there now?
Speaker 9 (33:32):
Yeah, I am, I'm righty here. Thank you. Thanks for
covering this too. I was gonna say for me, I'm
a little bit different because I don't live in the community.
I'm in Chelmford, mass same place as Nibbe the beaver
that Marray Hally also helped them keep in place at
their rescue here that it was really nice thing.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
That was probably an easier task for the governor. I
think she had more control over that than this.
Speaker 9 (33:57):
Property, but go ahead, definitely, But it was very exciting
to see her get involved in this also. And I
was at a rally for the Pink Houst the other
like a couple of weeks ago, and Thundered Attire was there,
and you know, there are a lot of people that
I've seen from the Facebook group and different thing that
you know, I see online and I see the photographs
and pictures and paintings and you know, and it was
(34:21):
nice to meet some person.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
We're getting tied on time. What is your question or comment?
Speaker 9 (34:28):
Mine is just I think it's worth saving. You know,
you can just walk through downtown Newberry Point and you
see the Pink House everywhere. You see it on coasters
and t shirts and pottery and you know, paintings and
photographs and it's just such a big part of the
community that you know, I just when I'm bored. I
just drive there and look at it. I recently went
there to see the Aurora borealis and you know, there
(34:50):
are a bunch of us were all there photographing and
it was just amazing and I just can't imagine it
not being there.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Okay, Well, thank you very much for your for your
support on that. And by the way, Gustar is probably
one of the hardest working state senators in Massachusetts, concerned
about local issues, and he's done, as I understand it,
a great job on this. Deborah, thank you so much.
I just got to get a couple more calls in here.
Speaker 9 (35:13):
Hi, right, thank you.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Thanks. Let me go to David and Newburyport. David, you're
next on Night Side.
Speaker 8 (35:19):
Go right ahead, Yeah, Hello, this is David. Are you
Are you with me?
Speaker 2 (35:25):
Yes? And more importantly, you're with us, David Ram, the
host of the show when you were in the air,
Go right.
Speaker 8 (35:31):
Ahead, Hill, Hi Dan. Yet, I'm David and I live
in Newburyport on Plumb Island, and I just have to
speak in a more focused fashion and that it's much
more than history. It's a it's part of our community
really big time. I drive by it every day, as
many people do. And and uh, to see it David
and Goliath event take place like this is really sad.
(35:56):
I'm very sadden. Every time I go by speaking, I
would be.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
I would be, I would be hardened in the sense
that you have a group of people and they sound
very dedicated listening to Rochelle today, who have joined together,
and it is a David and Goliath battle. And yeah,
sometimes David wins these things. You know you will win this.
Speaker 8 (36:16):
I hope, well hope in place of David, it's really Rochelle.
She's been with us from the get go, and she's
been very patient and very collegial, and very politically attuned
to the different people that let me just add Bruce
Tarr indeed to some extent, has been involved and a
proponent of keeping it. However, I will speak as a
(36:39):
as a citizen, as a businessman, and as an artist. Uh,
it's been just dead space talking to all the politicians
that we elected. They've not stepped up. They've had deaf years.
And I don't want to be nasty about it, but
I'm just oh.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
That's okay, it's good. It's it's good to hear. And
again they need to work a little harder David, I
have one more'd like to get in. I appreciate your
call very much. Thanks, thanks for joining the chorus tonight.
Thank you. Let's go to Jeff and West Newbury. Jeff,
you've just called in. I give you about thirty seconds.
If you can do something with it, go ahead.
Speaker 7 (37:18):
Yeah, Hey day, Dan, thanks for taking me on the call.
So I'm one of the board members. And a couple
quick things. One is the fish and wildlife. The reason
why they're saying they need to take it down is
that their big excuse has been that it's filled with
asbestos and lead paint, and just to be clear, as
we've talked about, that's already been all mitigated, so that
excuse is kind of gone now now been it's just
not responsible for them to maintain a house. That's not
(37:41):
what they want to do. They want to take it
down and preserve that acre. It's one acre. Now the
house has been approved has been a praise for four
hundred and twenty five thousand dollars. So the swap that
Rachelle and you guys have been talking about at one
thousand dollars an acre that equals four hundred and twenty
five eight that they could trade it for which is
(38:02):
ecologically important land. So at the end of the day,
the most important thing to think about is from their
mission and what they're trying to do. The question is
it more important to save one acre of upland it's
on a busy road, or swap it somewhere for the
equivalent of four hundred and twenty five acres.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Oh okay. Unfortunately, unfortunately, Jeff, we're going to have to
leave it at that point. I wish you'd called earlier
because I could have given you much more time. But
the news await, so I'm going to laugh to say
thanks very much. I think we understand your point. Appreciate it. Rochelle,
thank you very much. The website is support the pink
House dot com. Best of luck. I hope you prevail.
(38:39):
But I like these sort of issues because it is
always again, whether you call it a David and Goliath
or fighting city Hall, we're on your side. Thank you
very much for having joined us tonight.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
Thank you, Dan.
Speaker 3 (38:53):
We hope it's a win for all.
Speaker 8 (38:54):
Appreciate it's hope.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
Let's hope. Thank you very much. When we come back,
we're going to talk to a question that's maybe as interesting,
but a little less contentious, and that is Christmas creep.
Do we start to celebrate Christmas around here a little
too early? We'll talk about that on the other side
of the ten o'clock News
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