Historic Revitalization program draws 34 letters of intent for $749,862 fund

Butte — Historic Preservation staff told the Historic Preservation Commission that the Butte Historic Revitalization subgrant program received 34 letters of intent for roughly $749,862 in available funding.

The program is intended to restore and reactivate historic buildings in Uptown Butte. Kate, the preservation staff member reporting to the commission, said program staff “put out the call for the letters of intent” and expected perhaps 20 applicants but instead received 34, mostly buildings within the landmark district and many within the Urban Renewal Area (URA). She said “most all of them are within the district within the landmark district. Most as well are in the URA, but we do have 4 or 5 that are outside of the URA.”

Kate said the program team offered two Q&A sessions, fielded many applicant questions and has tallied all submissions so the committee can “read through them and help us out with choosing who moves on to part 2.” She said the total pool is “$749,862” and that while dividing that evenly across 34 applicants would yield “about 22,000 each,” the program intends to make “4 to 7, like, substantial grants.” She also noted a coordinator position budgeted at about $15,000 to support the program.

Kate told commissioners that if applicants use URI (sic) or SARTA funds they will come before the Historic Preservation Commission for review, and she said the projects will also be reviewed by the park service. Commissioners did not take a formal vote at this meeting; the item was presented as an update and to inform upcoming application review work by the commission and staff.

The commission indicated it expects to review eligible projects at future meetings and that staff will return once the committee narrows the list of applicants.