Historic Preservation Advisory Board seeks inventory RFP, outlines scope from ancestral Pueblo to Manhattan Project-era sites

Patrick Mortier, chair of the Historic Preservation Advisory Board, told the Los Alamos County Council on June 17 that the board’s work spans local resources from ancestral Puebloan sites through Manhattan Project-era buildings and more recent properties that meet the 50-year threshold for historic designation. The board described active collaboration with the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division (the State Historic Preservation Officer, SHPO) and federal partners where federal jurisdiction applies.

Mortier said the board formalized after substantial county investment in Fuller Lodge and now provides advisory guidance rather than regulatory enforcement: “Our goal is to provide advice to council when issues come up,” he said. He outlined recent and ongoing items: nominations to state and national registers (including work with United Church on a nomination), guidance to community groups on restoration (including efforts around the historic rose garden and the post office clock), and public outreach through fairs and the Romero Cabin program.

A near-term priority is a county-funded historic-preservation inventory. Mortier said a request for proposals (RFP) to assess county-owned historic structures is nearly complete and will be posted to hire an assessor to compile an inventory and evaluation of county assets. That inventory, he said, will identify structures “whether it’s something in Downtown Los Alamos or whether it’s the North Mesa stables… or out on Barranca Mesa,” that are historically eligible and may inform future preservation policy and grant applications.

Councilors asked about the board’s temporal scope. Mortier clarified the board follows the National Historic Preservation Act benchmark of 50 years for historic consideration but also works with other partners to identify cultural resources that predate that threshold. He said the board will support commemoration of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park’s 10th anniversary and stands ready to coordinate with the National Park Service as plans are formalized.

Mortier closed by noting the board is fully staffed, active in community outreach, and coordinating with county marketing staff on public education handouts. There was a short public question about coordination with Los Alamos National Laboratory; Mortier said the laboratory maintains federal responsibility for historic resources on lab property while the county’s board focuses on county-owned resources and conversation between those entities is ongoing.