Congressman Moulton: Where Art Thou?

NEWBURY — On a cold December night last week on Plum Island, supporters of the Pink House turned up the heat on the area’s delegation to Congress, particularly U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, to save the federally owned Pink House from demolition.
Supporters of the Pink House, which began trying to save the Pink House in 2016, took a page from a grassroot lobbying manual and asked those who love the Pink House to fill out a postcard it would send to Moulton.
The postcard read: “Congressman Moulton, we urge you to represent the overwhelming number of your constituents who are asking you to intervene with (the U.S.) Fish and Wildlife (Service) to stop the demolition of The Pink House until a solution is found.”
Moulton, a five-term Democratic congressman from Salem, actively supported the Pink House for several years, but has not been involved since the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), which owns the house, announced it plans to demolish it.
Neither he nor a staff member attended the emergency Save the Pink House meeting, called by state Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, last month. The meeting drew a large, standing-room-only crowd to the PITA Hall on Plum Island.
Asked why Moulton is not helping stop the federal government’s plans to demolish the house, Rochelle Joseph, president of the Support the Pink House, said, “We are asking the same question.”
The postcard continued: “We are OPPOSED to the demolition of The Pink House. More than an iconic landmark, it brings business and tourists to our area, supplements the income of many in this district, and should go back on Newbury’s tax rolls. FWS stands to gain $425-500K more land, save demolishment costs, keep 8+ acres, and save their public reputation.
“We have elected you to fight for our concerns here as much as in DC. We ask you to personally have a transparent meeting with us now and STOP the demolition.”
The Supporters of the Pink House called the meeting last week at the PITA Hall on Plum Island to continue it eight-year effort to find land that might be traded for the 1 acre the Pink House sits on. That acreage would have to be land anywhere in the U.S. that the F&WS wants – marsh or dry land close to a wildlife refuge and is valued at $425,000 or more.
The F&WS worked for two years to make a trade with the Essex County Greenbelt, but that trade fell through, as have others, Joseph told the crowd of supporters.
Several supporters who attended the meeting promised to contact owners of land that might be traded.
It is not clear how long the F&WS will delay the demolition that was announced at the end of October.
Refuge Manager Matt Hellman said it could take several months to process all the information and comments that were sent in during the 30-day public comment period, which ended Nov. 30.
The F&WS purchased the Pink House on Plum Island Turnpike for $375,000 in 2011. Hellman said the Pink House does not meet the agency’s mission. It would prefer to demolish the house and replace it with an observation platform.
One option for saving the house is to have Congress pass legislation that protects it. Congress could declare the land under the Pink House surplus and sell it. Or Congress could instruct the F&WS to preserve the vacant house.
Those options would require action by Moulton, Sen. Ed Markey or Sen. Elizabeth Warren.