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Commission hears conference acceptances, marker applications and a $25,000 grant for firefighting history
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Summary
Commission staff said Erie's session proposals were accepted for the Pennsylvania Downtown Conference and the National Association of Preservation Commissions; staff reported three state historic marker pre-applications and a $25,000 CLG grant to document firefighting history.
Commission staff updated the Historic Review Commission on several ongoing preservation initiatives and grants during the April 6 meeting.
Staff said the city’s joint session proposal was accepted for the Pennsylvania Downtown Conference, which will be held in Erie in June or early July and will include a roughly 45-minute presentation and Q&A on the city’s historic preservation plan. Staff also said a separate proposal was accepted by the National Association of Preservation Commissions for a presentation on the city’s recently revised ordinance; staff invited commissioners to attend both conferences.
On state markers, staff reported three pre-applications submitted for the Pennsylvania State Historic Marker program: an application with the Erie Cemetery Association for Emma Hay (first woman superintendent of a major American cemetery), a pre-application from Erie Arts and Culture for illustrator Ruth Newton, and a city application for the indigenous people of the region. Staff said the state invited the city to reapply for a missing marker that had once stood in front of the old customs house (now the art museum) after the state found no record of the original marker.
Staff also reported the Pennsylvania Historic Museum Commission awarded the city a $25,000 Certified Local Government (CLG) grant to prepare a multi-property documentation form (MPDF) on firefighting history; the grant will fund a researcher to work with community partners to document firehouses and firefighting themes unique to Erie’s waterfront and bayfront shipping history. Staff said they expect the RFP for the research contract to issue within about a month and anticipate the project will take roughly a year.
In other updates, staff said the Erie Cemetery nomination has cleared City Council with unanimous approval and that the city is working toward an MOU with Erie Public Schools to formalize a reciprocal preservation-education partnership; staff will bring that agreement to the commission and council for ratification when finalized. Assistant planner Cooper Moore added that the parks plan engagement phase is complete, the city closed a tree grant from DCNR that planted more than 2,200 trees with partners, and Arbor Day/Earth Day events are planned for later in April.
Staff said final deadlines and award announcements for state markers are expected in early fall and the final state marker application deadline is June 1.
