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CONSIDERATION OF SUBMISSION OF THE CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (CLG) PROGRAM 2019-2020 APPLICATION FOR FUNDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $12,250 TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE OKLAHOMA STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE.
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BACKGROUND: On April 14, 1998, Council approved Contract K-9798-108 with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) making Norman a member city in the Certified Local Governments (CLG) Program. The CLG Program is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s national program for development and support of local historic preservation programs. Since its initial participation in 1999, the City of Norman has received an approximate annual average allocation of $12,000 in CLG grant funds. Over the 20 years that the City has participated in the CLG program, the City has received approximately $240,000 in funding. In January SHPO notified the City of Norman that the City was eligible to apply for up to $12,250 in CLG funding for the 2019-2020 program year.
Designation as a CLG city recognizes Norman’s historic preservation efforts and entitles the City to apply for a portion of the education/outreach funding set aside by the SHPO out of each year’s budget. Funding is intended to be used for historic research, public education and outreach programs. Over the past 20 years, Norman’s CLG funding has been used to create public information, educational materials about historic preservation, to conduct historic and architectural surveys, and to host free workshops and hands-on training programs in historic home repair and design.
DISCUSSION: The State Historic Preservation Office requested this year, that all CLG cities submit two plans to expend their CLG funds in their grant application submitted: Plan A, the preferred request, and Plan B, a back-up plan, in case funding or resources for Plan A were not available. SHPO made this request to ensure that a viable plan would be submitted on the grant application and there would not be delay of the state’s development of associated contracts. Only one Plan will be funded, based upon the city’s ability to meet the necessary matching funds and resources. As requested by the State Historic Preservation Office, City staff developed two plans to utilize the CLG funds for preservation projects which are described below. On April 8, 2019, the Historic District Commission recommended approval of the CLG fund application for the projects in Plan A and Plan B described below for the FY2019-20 Program.
The attached CLG application contains two plans Plan “A” and Plan “B”, for consideration by the City Council and the State Historic Preservation Office.
Both plans would include funds for staff training at an annual preservation/planning conference and for membership dues for staff and Commissioners to the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions. Plan A would allocate $10,600 of the CLG funds, for the hiring of an historic preservation consultant firm to update City of Norman’s 2009 Preservation Guidelines. Plan B allocates $10,600 of the CLG grant funds for a professional consulting firm to prepare a Historic Context Survey and Analysis of Historic Residential Resources in Norman. Only one viable project will be funded by the CLG Program.
The CLG Program requires a 60/40 in-kind match. In order to receive $12,250 in CLG grant funds, the City must document a minimum of $8,615 in matching funds or in-kind contributions of staff time. Typically, matching funds are primarily derived by in-kind contributions of staff time and by the annual $2,200 (account 010-4080-419.40-03) contribution from the City of Norman General Fund. This year, Plan A, also requests the City provide an additional $35,000 matching funds for the Historic Preservation Guideline update. These funds would be used to hire a professional historic preservation firm for the development of new preservation guidelines.
Listed below are the summaries of Plan A and Plan B, both of which will be submitted in the CLG Grant Application:
The proposed Plan “A” 2019-2020 CLG project and budget is as follows:
PROJECT 1: Attendance Planning/Preservation Conference 2019-2020 - $1,500
Training in the form of attendance at an annual preservation/planning conference is strongly encouraged by SHPO for staff and commissioners of all CLG participant cities. It is anticipated that one staff person will be attending a national or regional two-three day conference yet to be determined. Total budget of $1,500 includes registration fees, travel expenses, and lodging.
PROJECT 2: Memberships Dues for National Alliance of Preservation Commissions - $150
Pay for the membership dues for staff and Commissioners to the National Alliance for Preservation Commissions. Total budget of $150 would provide membership for staff and all commissioners.
PROJECT 3: Updating the Historic District Guidelines - $45,600 ($10,600 in CLG Funds, $35,000 in City Funds)
This would help fund the updating of the Historic Preservation Guidelines. It is anticipated that the City of Norman would provide matching funds of approximately $35,000. This would pay for the hiring of a consultant to: help evaluate existing historic guidelines and develop a set of guidelines for adoption with the guidance of the Historic District Commission. Due to the nature of the CLG grant funds, the new set of guidelines would need to be completed by May 1, 2020. Adoption of the updated preservation guidelines could occur after this date. Total budget of $45,600 includes RFP legal publication notices, printing, and a consultant fee for the Historic Context Survey and Analysis of Historic Residential Resources in Norman.
TOTAL BUDGET OF CLG FUNDS OF $12,250 ($35,000 in Matching City Funds)
The proposed Plan “B” 2019-2020 CLG project and budget is as follows:
PROJECT 1: Attendance Planning/Preservation Conference 2019-2020 - $1,500
Training in the form of attendance at an annual preservation/planning conference is strongly encouraged by SHPO for staff and commissioners of all CLG participant cities. It is anticipated that one staff person will be attending a national or regional two-three day conference yet to be determined. Total budget of $1,500 includes registration fees, travel expenses, and lodging.
PROJECT 2: Memberships Dues for National Alliance of Preservation Commissions - $150
Pay for the membership dues for staff and Commissioners to the National Alliance for Preservation Commissions. Total budget of $150 would provide membership for staff and all commissioners.
PROJECT 3: Historic Context Survey and Analysis of Historic Residential Resources in Norman - $10,600
Nationally, 1950’s neighborhoods are now old enough to be considered historic and many are seeing rapid changes. The City of Norman has utilized CLG funds to fund three historic surveys of 1950’s residential additions in Norman.
In 2017-18, the CLG Grant funded an Historic Survey of the Lydick’s Addition which is a 1950‘s residential addition west of Berry Road. The result of the completion of that survey indicated that the addition did not meet the historic preservation criteria for National Register nomination. City staff, in discussions with the State Historic Preservation Office about how this could be avoided in the future, determined that a study of the historical context of Norman historic residential development would help identify resources worthy of preservation and identify next steps in preservation and survey efforts.
In Norman, like many communities in the United States, there was a boom in tract housing in the mid-twentieth century. Though there are plenty of residential additions older than 50 years due to the post-war housing boom, the additions need to be unique in regards to development or architectural trends to elevate them to a status worthy of historic documentation and/or preservation. The proposed Historic Context Survey and Analysis of Historic Residential Resources in Norman would provide a history of residential development in Norman which could then be used to help identify those areas worthy of historic surveys and/or preservation efforts.
It is not anticipated that this context survey will be a prelude to establishing an historic district. The entire City limits of Norman will be reviewed for historic residential development. Total budget of $10,600 includes RFP legal notices, printing, and a consultant fee for the Historic Context Survey and Analysis of Historic Residential Resources in Norman.
TOTAL BUDGET OF CLG FUNDS OF $12,250
RECOMMENDATION: The Historic District Commission reviewed and approved project Plan A and Plan B proposed for CLG 2019-20 Grant Application for Funding. Staff reviewed the proposed CLG 2019-20 Grant Application for Funding and recommends authorizing the submission of the Certified Local Government Program application with two plans to the State Historic Preservation Office in the amount of $12,250. Upon notification of funding award for one of the Plans, staff will forward any associated contract document to the City Council for approval, including a request to appropriate the approved contract amount. CLG funds are anticipated to be available July 1, 2019.