Ames HPC members report Preserve Iowa Summit takeaways, seek CLG grants and clarity on COA postings

Members of the Ames Historic Preservation Commission discussed several nonaction items on June 9, including lessons from the Preserve Iowa Summit, potential grant-funded projects to document historic schools and churches, questions about public posting of certificates of appropriateness (COAs) on the city website, and progress on a National Register nomination for the Chautauqua Park–Ridgewood subdivision.

Commissioner Kate and Commissioner Greg both reported attending the Preserve Iowa Summit in Muscatine. “They published a book, with all those sites,” Ray, a city staff member who also attended, summarized of a Muscatine County project mapping historic rural churches and schools. Commissioners suggested similar signage or QR-code projects to identify former schools, churches and homes tied to Iowa State students who were historically excluded from on-campus housing.

Commissioner Laura described an Iowa State project that maps houses where Black students who could not live on campus once resided and suggested linking that resource to the commission’s web pages. Ray and commissioners said they would pursue follow-up, including inviting a Certified Local Government (CLG) representative to speak to the commission about grant opportunities and technical assistance.

Commissioners raised transparency questions about administrative approvals. After reading a letter from Kelly (city official) they were unsure whether staff would routinely provide a monthly list of administrative approvals, including staff-issued COAs, or whether the city manager’s office would post more applications on the new website. Ray told the commission the city is “trying to provide more information to the public” and that some applications are already posted; he added staff will provide “a list of all the certificates of appropriateness that we approve as staff.” Commissioners asked staff to confirm whether all COAs will be posted and, if not, which types will appear online.

Ray gave a status update on the Chautauqua Park–Ridgewood National Register nomination: the consultant has submitted a revision to the State Historic Preservation Office nomination package, major issues have been resolved, and staff expects the nomination to be before the state review committee in October and forwarded to the National Park Service for final review. “We anticipate that it will be on the state nominations review committee meeting agenda in October,” Ray said; he noted the Park Service often issues decisions within roughly three months after receiving a nomination, though he cautioned timelines are not guaranteed.

Commissioners also discussed local examples of rehabilitation and funding strategies presented at the summit, and asked staff for the commission’s work plan earlier in the fall to allow more time for commissioner input ahead of the December CLG annual-report agenda item. Ray agreed to invite a CLG representative to a future meeting and to provide the work plan earlier in October.