Historic Preservation Board approves $750 contribution, outlines May outreach plans

The Castle Rock Historic Preservation Board voted unanimously on Feb. 4 to contribute $750 to the Castle Rock Historical Society & Museum to support activities planned for Historic Preservation Month in May.

The board approved the contribution after staff member Brad Boland described how prior funding helped cover trolley rides and scavenger-hunt materials. "Last year we approved $750 to help with that," Boland said, noting the funds also pay for printing scavenger worksheets and renting a trolley driver for guided tours.

The vote was moved by Susan and seconded; the secretary recorded a roll-call tally with seven votes in favor and no votes against. The board then moved into a larger discussion about outreach and logistics for May events.

Board members reviewed a family-oriented placemat designed to engage children and parents with local historic sites, and suggested adding a QR code or a short URL that would link to a Historic Preservation Month landing page on the town website. Boland said he will coordinate with the town communications team to ensure the QR code and landing page meet accessibility standards and to create a trackable code for different pieces of promotional material.

Members discussed distribution strategies and timing. Boland said he will ask the Downtown Alliance and local restaurant owners about handing out materials, and board members volunteered to help in April and May. The board also considered corrugated-plastic yard signs — one design for designated historic homes and a second general "History lives here" sign — and discussed ordering quantities and costs. Boland estimated there are 26 local landmarks and about 24 contributing structures that could be referenced when sizing orders.

The board reviewed options for a postcard to solicit sign requests and debated whether to mail to the whole Cracking Gold neighborhood or only to properties meeting the town's historic cutoff year (1945). Boland said staff can pull mailing lists and consult communications on expected response rates and production lead times, and recommended sending postcards in April with a response deadline to manage sign fulfillment.

For promotional imagery, staff proposed highlighting the Keystone Hotel/Castle Cafe and the Owens House on Perry Street on this year’s poster; Boland said he would search archives and library files for suitable photos that still closely resemble the buildings today.

Boland also announced that the town will add a development technician, Kurt Roselle, to staff on Feb. 17. The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m.

The board plans to reconvene in March; staff said it will bring cost estimates and a production timeline for signs, postcards and web materials.