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Kane County accepts $750,000 Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant, adopts budget amendment
Summary
The Development Committee approved a resolution to accept a $750,000 Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization subgrant from the National Park Service and to amend the 2025 budget for the grant’s first-year funding. The department will provide $50,000 in staff-time match; the grant will be distributed as subgrants to eligible rural historic properties.
Kane County’s Development Committee voted Feb. 18 to approve a resolution accepting a $750,000 Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant from the National Park Service and to amend the 2025 budget to reflect the first year of a three-year award. The grant award is the maximum available under the program and will fund subgrants to rehabilitate historic structures in rural parts of the county.
Julia Tabong, the county’s historic preservation planner, told the committee the grant requires projects to be in rural areas as defined by USDA boundaries and requires that buildings receiving funding be listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the end of the project timeline. Tabong said the Development Department will provide $50,000 in staff-time as the local match and that the county’s role will be to administer subgrant guidelines, applications, agreements and monitoring.
Why it matters: officials said the program will provide a funding source for costly rehabilitation work that previously lacked local grant support. Tabong said projects could include nonprofit museums, forest preserve district structures, local businesses, and high-profile agricultural buildings; eligible work ranges from simple repairs such as roof repairs and repointing to larger foundation and structural work, and must follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
Administration and reporting: Tabong said staff will develop a multi-property National Register nomination to make more buildings eligible and will rely on interns and consultants as needed. Projects receiving subgrants will be subject to either a covenant or preservation easement tied to the amount of grant funds awarded, and county staff will perform site visits and compliance monitoring prior to drawdowns of federal funds.
Funding and timing: the grant is funded from the National Historic Preservation Fund and is administered as a drawdown; county staff said no county fronting of funds is required and draws will be made as project expenses are approved. The committee adopted a budget amendment allocating the first-year portion of the three-year grant; staff indicated most drawdown activity will occur in later project years when recipients carry out work.
The motion to approve the resolution was moved by Leonard and seconded by Tepe and passed by roll call with committee members recorded in favor. Committee members praised staff for pursuing the grant and noted potential local projects, including some forest preserve barns and other rural historic structures.
