Nine grants that will generate investment of nearly $100,000 in historic preservation-related projects have been awarded to seven Certified Local Government (CLG) communities for fiscal year 2018-19 by the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office (KHC). The annual grants are part of a pass-through allocated from the federal Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) for state preservation offices to recognize, save, and protect historic places.
Grants totaling $58,468 went to Bardstown, Bellevue, Covington, Danville, Frankfort, Metro Louisville and Newport, which will require local matches totaling at least $38,980. The awards were approved earlier this year by the KHC board, with applications for the next funding cycle set to be distributed to Kentucky’s 23 participating CLG communities in November.
“October is National Community Planning Month, a good time for our CLG partners to consider how historic neighborhoods add to the overall vitality, livability, and desirability of their communities,” said Vicki Birenberg, CLG program and planning coordinator.
The grants will largely fund training and education initiatives but also be used to revise and update local historic district design guidelines, survey historic resources, and nominate a historic district to the National Register of Historic Places. A portion of KHC’s federal set-aside has also been made available to provide scholarships to local CLG program coordinators and board members to attend the annual National Trust for Historic Preservation National Preservation Conference, and KHC’s Kentucky Main Street Program annual spring meeting.
City and county-wide historic preservation commissions that have earned CLG designation may apply for the annual grants. Qualifying projects require a local match of at least 40 percent. Grants cannot be used to acquire or rehabilitate historic buildings.
KHC is required to allocate at least 10 percent of its HPF apportionment to CLG grants.
2018-19 Certified Local Government historic preservation grants in NKY are:
Bellevue, Window Rehabilitation Workshop (federal share $1,200, minimum local match $800), to plan, market and implement a full-day intensive historic wood window rehabilitation demonstration and workshop for property owners and local contractors.
Bellevue, Northern Kentucky Restoration Weekend (federal share $3,200, minimum local match $2,133), to partner with other Northern Kentucky communities to produce the 8th annual Northern Kentucky Restoration Weekend, a free, multifaceted educational event with sessions on topics of interest to historic property owners. A day is also dedicated to professional development, allowing participants to earn professional credits from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
Covington, Northern Kentucky Restoration Weekend (federal share $3,000, minimum local match $2,000), to partner with other Northern Kentucky communities to produce the 8th annual Northern Kentucky Restoration Weekend (see above).
Newport, Design Guidelines Update (federal share $3,000, minimum local match $2,000), for funding to allow staff to revise and update Historic District Design Guidelines, which were originally developed for a single district. The city now has three local districts, each with its own character. The update will address the distinctive elements of each district as well as include sections on renewable energy and use of alternative materials for restoration.
Newport, National Register nomination for the Buena Vista Historic District (federal share $8,000, minimum local match $5,334), to develop a National Register nomination for the Buena Vista Historic District, which will include more than 1,000 primary buildings. The survey work required to develop the nomination was completed with a previous CLG grant.