Newberg commission votes to seek city help and pursue CLG grant to expand historic inventory

The Newberg Historic Preservation Commission voted to ask the city manager for resources to convert the city’s historic-resources inventory into a searchable database and unanimously directed staff to apply for a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant to expand the inventory, staff said.

Commission staff reported the current inventory is largely a 1991 PDF that is cumbersome to search and contains low-quality scans and images. "We could take the old resource inventory and turn it into a database and hire someone to do that work with grant money," an unidentified staff member said, proposing the commission ask the city manager for paid or volunteer labor to complete the project. The commission approved the request to seek city resources after a motion and a second.

Why it matters: A searchable, updated inventory would make it easier for residents, planners and property owners to find historical data and photographs without sifting through hundreds of PDF pages, commissioners said. The staff recommendation is to use the CLG grant to add mid-century modern resources rather than only performing a textual cleanup of older entries.

Staff said they will attend a CLG training the next day and will write a summary for the commission afterward. "I will go to the CLG training and I'll write a summary and send that out to you guys after the training," the staff member said. The commission moved and seconded a separate motion to "direct staff to apply for the CLG grants to expand our historic resources inventory to include mid-century modern architecture" and the chair called the vote; the motion passed unanimously.

Commissioners discussed implementation options: converting the inventory in-house, hiring temporary staff, or coordinating volunteers. Several members said volunteers could assist with scanning and transcription; one suggested pairing the database work with George Fox’s local mapping project. Staff cautioned that listing a property as an official historic resource requires owners’ permission because listing places limitations on exterior work.

Staff also reported that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is performing related historic research while installing ADA-compliant sidewalks downtown, noting that for features such as stamped sidewalks the commission’s prior guidance was to preserve in place, then move, then replicate if needed. ODOT told staff it expects to reach the downtown area in June and is currently working on College Street.

Next steps: staff will take the motion to the city manager to request resources, pursue the CLG grant application with a mid-century focus, and report back after the training and as the grant writer position is filled.