At a January meeting of the Lawrenceburg City Historic Preservation Commission, city code enforcement and a representative of Indiana Landmarks walked commissioners through the review process for repairs at the former post office at 13 Short Street and summarized which proposed exterior changes the nonprofit had approved, denied or left pending.

The discussion matters because the property is both locally protected and subject to easements that transferred to Indiana Landmarks after a previous local holding board dissolved. ‘‘We are enforcing those covenants and easements,’’ said Mitchell Keneggar of Indiana Landmarks, explaining the nonprofit’s role and that it evaluates proposed work against local standards and the Secretary of the Interior’s Rehabilitation Guidelines.

Keneggar listed ten submitted scopes of work and their current status. He said scope 1 (adding black marble beneath lamp post bases) was denied as non‑historic; scope 5 (replacement of fencing inserts) and scope 6 (concrete step repairs) were approved; scope 8 (resurfacing the existing driveway without changing its footprint) was approved; scopes 2 and 9 (paint and refinishing of lettering) require specification sheets; scope 3 (window tinting) and scope 4 (a proposed monolithic concrete pour along the south elevation) remain under review, with Keneggar recommending reversible alternatives (for example, permeable or donor pavers instead of a monolithic pour); and scope 7 (new awnings) was found noncompliant with the style and age of the structure.

‘‘Those awnings were also found via the guidelines to be noncompliant for the style and age of the structure,’’ Keneggar said.

City code enforcement representative Morgan Hedrick told the commission the property has been the subject of court citations for about three years and that inspections by building officials and structural engineers identified safety violations that must be addressed before a certificate of occupancy can be issued. ‘‘The building has been found to be unsafe,’’ Hedrick said, and the certificate of occupancy will not be issued until inspectors confirm repairs have cured the unsafe conditions under Indiana’s unsafe‑building statute (Title 36).

Hedrick described specific safety issues, including broken windows and disintegrating sandstone or limestone coping that posed fall hazards. He said many of the structural repairs needed for safety ‘‘have to go through historic preservation’’ — a process that created recurring coordination challenges when a prior local board that granted permissions had dissolved.

Participants said they now have a clearer, more streamlined process: Indiana Landmarks will review and provide directives on proposals that affect historic character, while city enforcement will undertake or permit structural and safety work that does not change features under easement, with final exterior façade approvals returning to the local commission after state‑level review is complete. The commission characterized the session as informational and did not take formal action on the property; Indiana Landmarks’ pending determinations and any necessary specification sheets remain to be supplied.

The meeting concluded with the commission thanking the LaRosa family and participants. Next steps identified by participants included submission of requested specification sheets to Indiana Landmarks and coordinated inspections by city enforcement when LaRosa family contractors complete repairs that affect safety.