HPAB recommends landmarking Labor Farm and approves repair grant; items go to county commissioners

Boulder County’s Historic Preservation Advisory Board voted unanimously Sept. 4 to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners designate the Labor Farm as a county historic landmark and to approve a matching preservation grant for structural repairs.

Denise Grama, the county staffer who presented the nomination, said the Paget Family Trust’s application would designate the farmhouse, barn, silo, scale house, the larger chicken house and the newer machine shed and that the property meets county landmark criteria 1, 3 and 4 for its association with local agriculture and its collection of early 20th-century farm buildings. "We are recommending that you approve the docket," Grama said.

After discussion about the condition of several smaller outbuildings, board member Liz Gehring moved to add the granary and the small storage shed to the recommended designation; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Grama said the recommendation and the board’s two standard conditions — which define when a certificate of appropriateness is required and exempt routine repairs that replicate original materials — will go to the Board of County Commissioners for final action at a hearing currently scheduled for Sept. 23 at 9:30 a.m., with options to attend in person or by Zoom.

The Paget Family Trust told the board it selected included structures based on longevity and condition; a trust representative said some smaller buildings had been damaged in recent windstorms and that retaining the buildings that preserved the farm’s visible "ambiance" from the road guided their choices. "We really don't have a problem with the building," the applicant said when asked whether the granary could be included, but noted repairs and lead-paint abatement will be required.

On a related docket item, the board approved a historic-preservation grant request from the Paget Family Trust (HPG-25-0002). Staff recommended awarding $7,845.07 to stabilize a failing north–south wood beam and address crawl-space moisture problems; the applicant will match the award, producing a total project cost of about $15,690.15. The board voted to forward the grant to the county commissioners (typically as a consent item) for final approval.

Grama said contractors will need county permits for the roof replacement and abatement work, and staff offered to provide the exact language of the two standard certificate-of-appropriateness conditions to the applicants. She also warned board members that the HPAB grant program — currently budgeted at $50,000 a year — is proposed for elimination in next year’s county budget and encouraged applicants to apply while funds remain available.

The HPAB’s recommendation on the Labor Farm and the grant award will be placed before the Board of County Commissioners at the scheduled hearing; the county staff contact confirmed the Sept. 23 date and time.