December 2011—Issue 2

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We are proud to announce Aberdeen, Moore County, as North Carolina’s newest Certified Local Government!  Aberdeen becomes the forty-seventh North Carolina community to participate in the National Park Service’s Certified Local Government (“CLG”) program, begun in 1980. The program assists local governments with the development, maintenance, and enrichment of local historic preservation efforts.  Ten percent of the North Carolina Historic Preservation Office’s funding is reserved for use by CLGs, and the primary benefit of certification is that they become eligible to apply for some of these funds in the form of matching grants. 

The North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office is updating the state’s comprehensive historic preservation plan, “Legacy”, which serves as a statement The North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office is updating the state’s comprehensive historic preservation plan, “Legacy”, which serves as a statement of public policy for historic preservation. The plan will assess the current status of historic resources and preservation efforts in North Carolina, examine needs and issues affecting preservation, and articulate goals and objectives, to serve as a general guide for the continued preservation of the state’s historic resources over the next five years.
To generate broadly-based participation in developing the plan, we are distributing a questionnaire to the general public and a range of public officials, local governments, and preservation professionals. If you could please forward to colleagues of your own to help us gather a larger pool of respondents, we would be quite appreciative. The survey will close January 15th, 2012. Thank you for taking the time to complete this important survey, as well as forwarding along to interested participants. Click to complete 2012 State Plan Survey

FPF

Front Porch

Forum

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Statewide Historic Societies Events

Lobby Day Washington, DC

Read the Nomination
Lansing’s downtown received National Register Historic Designation on
August 30, 2011. The non-profit Greater Lansing Area Development organization, GLAD, led the effort to prepare the nomination. GLAD works with North Carolina Small Towns Economic Prosperity Program, NC STEP. This new certification provides property owners the opportunity to utilize historic preservation  tax credits.

Read the Nomination

On August 29, 2011 the Barringer Hotel was entered in the National Register of Historic Places.  The National Register nomination for this twelve-story Art-Deco style hotel was was prepared by the Charlotte Housing Authority as mitigation for the proposed sale and foreseeable demolition of the hotel, given its prominent downtown location. As a result of the economic slowdown the property has been withdrawn from the market and is being used as temporary housing by the Authority as they renovate other properties in their portfolio. The Charlotte Housing Authority is still on the lookout for a buyer for the hotel. eligible for historic preservation tax credits.

Have you checked out HPOWEB yet? Our Environmental Review staff sure loves it! Each year they review nearly 3,000 projects for compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, ensuring that all federal agencies take into account the effects of their projects on historic properties. Using HPOWEB, the Historic Preservation Office’s new GIS website, makes it easy to spot historic resources in and around the project area, saving our staff as well as the public hundreds of hours compared to the old-fashioned method—flipping through over 1,500 map sheets! HPOWEB now features links to the National Register nominations for every historic district in the state, and an ever-growing list of nominations for individual sites, making it a valuable tool for HPO staff, researchers, or those wanting to know more about the history of their own neighborhood or region.

HPOWEB is also a great resource for applicants required to comply with Section 106, such as those requesting federal or state funding, licenses, permits, or approvals, since it is simple to identify known historic sites early in the project’s planning. To make this process even easier and faster, the HPO now accepts submissions for review via e-mail, saving project applicants and the state postage, printing costs, and time. To ensure we can review your project as soon as possible, please see the new Environmental Review project checklist and submission requirements, or contact our staff.

The State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) is now accepting applications for FY 2012 federal Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) pass-through grants.

· Eligible projects include architectural and archaeological surveys, nominations of eligible districts and properties to the National Register of Historic Places, survey publication manuscripts, local preservation design guidelines and preservation plans, educational programs, and restoration of National Register properties.

· Eligible applicants are local governments, local historic preservation commissions, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions.

· Privately owned historic properties may be eligible for federal and/or state rehabilitation investment tax credits, not HPF grants, which might be considered an indirect "grant" in the form of savings on federal and state income taxes.

Applicants must contact HPO staff asap to discuss their potential projects and the grant standards and requirements. February 17, 2012 is the final postmarked date for applications.

For more information, contact Michele Patterson-McCabe, Grants Coordinator
michele.patterson-mccabe@ncdcr.gov 919-807-6582

For more than 125 years, the US Geological Survey (USGS) topographical maps have accurately portrayed the complex geography of the Nation. Over 90,000 of the more than 200,000 maps in the Historic Topographic Map Collection are now available for download. The USGS will continue to add maps to the electronic collection through the next year, until their entire map library is online and available for public use.

Make Your Winter Warmer
by Reid Thomas

Reducing or elimination of excessive amounts of foundation moisture should reduce heating and cooling bills and interior comfort. Read more...

Barringer Hotel

Charlotte, NC

More Photos

Aberdeen, NC
More Photos

To be considered for certification, a local government must have adopted a preservation ordinance and established a preservation commission, in accordance with state law.  In addition, the commission must actively function for at least one year and be able to demonstrate experience and competence in the designation and administration of historic landmarks and/or districts.

Settled in the middle of the nineteenth century, Aberdeen is a vibrant small town community with a storied heritage as an agricultural center and transportation hub.  More recently, it has become known as part of the golf and resort community found in the Sandhills region.  The city has had an active and accomplished historic preservation commission since 2003 and has made historic preservation a key part of its overall planning strategy.

We anticipate Aberdeen’s certification to take effect in early 2012 and we look forward to working with them!

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