At the Sept. 2 City Council meeting, Julie Basic, chair of the Historic Resources Committee (HRC), presented the committee's recent accomplishments and its priorities for the coming year, emphasizing public education, preservation funding and partnerships with local historical organizations. "Our mission is to advocate, promote, encourage and coordinate historic resources and cultural landscape preservation," Basic told council.

Basic reviewed the committee's work over the past five years: supporting Daughters of Zion Cemetery improvements, funding Burley High School plaques and Carver Inn markers, co-sponsoring public lectures and contributing to the Swan Tavern artifact analysis. She said the HRC funded ground-penetrating radar examinations and research into enslaved individuals connected with Penn Park, and that a second printing of the downtown walking-tour map is imminent.

Looking ahead, the committee is assembling oral histories and recollections for a public exhibition to mark the Downtown Mall's 50th anniversary in July 2026 and is collaborating with Friends of the Downtown Mall and local schools to incorporate artifacts into classroom materials. Basic asked council for continued technical and modest budget support for HRC projects and for clear direction when council wants preservation input on other city initiatives.

Councilors praised the committee's work and discussed the balancing act between preservation and equitable development. Council members noted that historic preservation can manage change and serve as a tool to tell fuller local history; several speakers emphasized the importance of recognizing histories of displacement and ensuring preservation work contributes to an inclusive public record.

The presentation was informational; no action was taken at the meeting. Basic invited council members and community members to the upcoming walking-tour events and noted the committee's city webpage as the contact point for volunteers and inquiries.