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DHR Awards Federal Historic Preservation Funds for Projects in 10 CLG Localities

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Photo credit: Brandon McCuin, 2017

Jarratt House, Petersburg

—The pass-through federal funds will support preservation projects in Alexandria, Cape Charles (Northampton Co.), Charlottesville, Clarke Co., Danville, Fairfax Co., Fairfax (City), Petersburg, Middleburg (Loudoun Co.), and Virginia Beach—

—Each locality is a Certified Local Government, eligible for federal funds earmarked for CLGs—

DHR has awarded federal historic preservation funds totaling $151,204 to support projects in ten localities in the commonwealth that are designated Certified Local Government (CLG) jurisdictions.

Administered by the National Park Service, the CLG program demonstrates through the certification process a community’s commitment to historic preservation and establishes a partnership between the local government, the NPS’s Federal Historic Preservation Program, and each state's State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), which in Virginia is the Department of Historic Resources (DHR).

One benefit of CLG designation is the potential for the locality to tap federal Historic Preservation Funds allotted annually to each SHPO. Ten percent of the Historic Preservation Funds (HPF) a state receives are earmarked for its CLGs. In Virginia, DHR disburses those CLG funds through a competitive grant process among the commonwealth’s current 36 CLG communities.

DHR received 13 applications for the 2020-2021 CLG funding cycle and awarded ten CLG localities funds to support the following projects:

  • The City of Alexandria will receive $7,250 toward convening a one-day CAMP (Commission Assistance and Mentoring Program) workshop led by the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions. The workshop will ensure that all members of Alexandria’s Board of Architectural Review receive training and information regarding laws, practices, purposes and benefits of historic preservation.
  • The Town of Cape Charles in Northampton County will receive $7,460 also to support a one-day CAMP workshop led by the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions.
  • The City of Charlottesville will receive $18,954 to conduct surveys and document four historic cemeteries. The information gathered will result in the drafting of Preliminary Information Forms for submittal to DHR. Those forms can help the City determine if the cemeteries are eligible for listing on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places. Data collected on each cemetery will be entered into DHR’s digital information system (VCRIS) and summarized in a survey report.
  • Clarke County will receive $14,140 toward the completion of the text and design for a book that examines “history through architecture.” The project entails categorizing and drafting descriptions of the properties featured in the book.
  • DHR awarded the City of Danville $12,500 for a design and feasibility study to convert an existing single-family dwelling, a contributing building in a historic district, into a center for African American culture and history. The study will include architectural drawings and structural engineering assessments, among other information. All design plans will detail how they adhere to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
  • The City of Fairfax will receive $13,000 for a re-survey of the Fairfax Historic District, which was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The results of the survey will likely result in adding some buildings to the existing district and expanding the district as well to align with the City's local historic district. The survey will result in updated data and a NRHP nomination form.
  • Fairfax County will receive $10,800 to complete a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Pride of Fairfax Lodge, significant for its association with the historic African American neighborhood of Gum Springs; and a selective survey and completion of a Preliminary Information Form for potentially listing a Gum Springs Historic District.
  • The Town of Middleburg (Loudoun Co.) will be awarded $37,100 to update its design review guidelines for the Middleburg Historic District. That update will require retaining the services of a qualified consultant to spearhead public outreach as well as draft an updated user-friendly document. The guidelines will enhance the ability of the Town's staff and the Historic District Review committee members to provide consistent and transparent design review of new projects.
  • DHR awarded the City of Petersburg $7,500 to complete a National Register of Historic Places nomination form for the Jarratt House. Preservation Virginia has identified the circa-1820 dwelling as one of two stops on the Underground Railroad in the Pocahontas Island area of Petersburg.
  • The City of Virginia Beach will receive $22,500 to develop standards and guidelines for its historic and cultural districts in order to furnish the city's Historic Review Board with suitable guidance in project planning and review. The project aims to create clear, understandable, and detailed standards and design review guidelines.

For more information about the CLG program, visit the DHR website (www.dhr.virginia.gov) or contact DHR’s CLG manager Aubrey Von Lindern.

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