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State Historic Preservation Office urges Sandpoint to show commitment before awarding CLG planning grant
Summary
State Historic Preservation Office representatives told the commission the CLG planning grant would fund design guidelines but not ordinance drafting; the state asked for a letter from the mayor or council indicating intent to pursue an overlay or ordinance before award.
Representatives from the State Historic Preservation Office told the Sandpoint Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation Commission on March 11 that a Certified Local Government (CLG) planning grant could fund creation of historic design guidelines but would not itself pay to draft the local ordinance or substitute for city commitment.
Dan Everhart and Alexis Matron of SHPO told the commission the grant would typically be used to hire a qualified consultant to produce design guidelines consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s standards. Everhart noted that Sandpoint’s downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places but does not yet have a local overlay district or design-review ordinance.
SHPO representatives said the state requires confidence that the city intends to pass and implement an ordinance before awarding design guidelines money. Everhart said limited grant funds mean the office prioritizes projects that can be implemented; he said design guidelines would have “no value” if the city chose not to adopt the corresponding ordinance.
Commission and staff discussion confirmed the grant timeline and match requirements. Jason Walker and commission members discussed a proposed $20,000 project, with a $10,000 city match from the planning budget. SHPO staff said the grant application was part of a federal subgrant process that usually results in award letters within months and that grantees have roughly a two-and-a-half year timeline to complete projects once funds are committed.
SHPO staff requested a written assurance — typically a signed letter from the mayor or council leadership — indicating the city’s commitment to begin ordinance work so the state can be confident the grant will be implementable on the grant timeline. City staff indicated they would prepare a truthful statement of commitment and send it to SHPO.
Ending
SHPO representatives said the office supports Sandpoint’s goals and could consider the city’s application in the current cycle if the requested assurances are provided; otherwise Sandpoint could reapply in the next grant cycle.
