WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bill Delahunt will sponsor a public forum this month on how local communities and non-profit organizations can obtain surplus federal property at significant discounts – and sometimes even free.

“With local towns and cities facing unprecedented financial pressures, every dime counts,” Delahunt said. “Sometimes it is possible to acquire surplus equipment, vehicles and boats directly from federal agencies at little cost, saving thousands of dollars to local taxpayers,” Delahunt said today.

The workshop, intended to brief local officials on how to acquire surplus federal equipment and property, is scheduled for 11:00am on Friday, June 15 at the Regional Transit Authority Office at 11A Street in Edgartown, near the Martha’s Vineyard Airport. On hand will be representatives of the US Coast Guard, National Park Service, General Services Administration and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Over the years, Rep. Delahunt has helped numerous municipalities and private non-profit organizations acquire all types of surplus equipment and boats.   The Congressman has been able to help broker the discounted transfer of large parcels of land – or even structures of historic value – which are no longer needed by the federal government. In some cases, these conveyances can be negotiated without any cost to local communities.

The June 15 forum will also focus on opportunities for local groups to acquire area lighthouses designated as excess federal property. Under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, historic lighthouses can be declared excess to government needs. The National Park Service would then review applications for potential transfer to local entities. If transferred, the US Coast Guard will continue to maintain the lighthouse’s aid to navigation. The forum will outline how this program will affect lighthouses on the South Shore and Cape and Islands.

Further details are available by calling Rep. Delahunt’s office toll-free at 1-800-794-9911.

To view a surplus boat recently acquired with Delahunt's help by the Town of Dennis, please click here.

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