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Wildwood commission votes to recommend MIG for citywide historic preservation plan
Summary
The Wildwood Historic Preservation Commission voted to recommend national firm MIG to the City Council as the consultant for the citywide historic preservation plan after interviews with three finalists. The commission cited MIG’s outreach approach and a project manager with local ties; Shockey Consulting was named the second choice.
The Wildwood Historic Preservation Commission voted Wednesday to recommend MIG, a national preservation consulting firm, to the City Council to prepare Wildwood’s citywide historic preservation plan.
Department staff told commissioners the ad hoc interview committee reviewed four responses to the city’s request for qualifications, interviewed three finalists (MIG, MKSK and Shockey Consulting) and narrowed the field to two recommended firms. "Their presentation blew us away pretty much from the get go," the Department of Planning staff said, citing MIG’s national best practices and a large, specialized team.
Why it matters: the citywide preservation plan is the commission’s top priority in 2025 and will set policy and engagement priorities for the next decade, commission members said. The commission’s recommendation goes to City Council for final selection and contract authorization.
During the meeting commissioners highlighted two reasons for supporting MIG. First, staff said MIG’s project manager, Marsha Boyles, is a Wildwood native and ‘‘has a depth of understanding that I think could only come from reading the Wildwood history book,’’ a staff member said. Second, staff described MIG’s emphasis on tailored engagement—examples included using youth ambassadors to reach harder-to-reach community segments—rather than a generic workshop schedule.
Shockey Consulting was the committee’s solid second choice, staff said. The commissioners noted Shockey’s regional experience and a strong proposal for tailored community engagement including crowd-sourced story maps and visual preference surveys.
The commission voted after a motion, which was seconded; commissioners raised hands in favor and the motion passed. The record of who moved and seconded was not specified in the meeting transcript. The commission will forward its recommendation and interview materials to City Council for consideration.
Commissioners and staff stressed the selection is a recommendation to council, not a contract award. Andrew Dial, grants manager for the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), reviewed the candidate firms and confirmed they met state qualification requirements, staff said.
