Design Review Board approves minutes, receives Preservation 101 training

The Fort Thomas Design Review Board approved last month’s meeting minutes and heard a Preservation 101 training delivered by Wes Cunningham, the on‑call preservationist for Fort Thomas.

The training, which Cunningham framed as a general overview ahead of a later Fort Thomas‑specific session, summarized why historic preservation matters and described the technical framework the board will use when reviewing changes in local overlay districts. “Not only are rehabilitation costs often equal to or less than demolition and reconstruction,” Cunningham said, adding that preservation work “tends to stay in the local economy” and can boost property values, jobs and heritage tourism.

Cunningham reviewed the federal framework that guides preservation practice, including the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Register of Historic Places and Section 106 review, and he outlined how the Secretary of the Interior’s standards and National Park Service guidance…