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Consultant outlines Downtown Russell National Register nomination and tax‑credit opportunities
Summary
A consultant for a Main Street project presented a proposed National Register historic‑district nomination for downtown Russell, describing boundaries, likely contributing buildings and state/federal tax‑credit incentives; the board asked for time to review and deferred action to a future meeting.
Tyrell Summers, representing Russell Main Street’s economic vitality committee, told the school board he is leading a National Register historic‑district nomination that would cover roughly Third to Ninth streets in downtown Russell and nearby blocks, including the Rubenthal block and the Fossil County Museum. Summers said the nomination would be separate from the city’s streetscape project but could complement it.
Summers said designation would create opportunities for rehabilitation financing: state historic tax credits could cover up to 40 percent of qualified rehabilitation expenditures, and federal credits could add 20 percent for private developers. “If the school district decided to do something with Rubenthal once it is designated historic…you would be eligible for state credits,” Summers said, while adding that school districts are qualified only for state credits and federal credits generally apply to private developers. He noted credits are typically transferred or sold to investors and that seeking credits would require pre‑clearance with the State Historic Preservation Office.
Summers emphasized that designation itself would not force the district to preserve or prevent demolition in day‑to‑day operations: “It would not in any way mean you would have to get it approved by SHPO…If you guys ever decided for some reason you wanted to demolish Rubenthal, you could do that,” he said, adding that the main trade‑off is the extra steps required if the district later seeks tax‑credit rehabilitation.
Summers also said consultant Ellis Mumford and her team plan to visit Russell on May 29 to discuss details and that property‑owner consent forms must be collected for the nomination process; the forms can record support or non‑support. The presentation opened discussion about which downtown properties might contribute to a district era (Summers said a 1950s character is likely) and whether specific school properties such as Rubenthal or Bickerdike Elementary could be included.
Board members asked for time to review the materials and suggested tabling the decision until members can attend the May 29 meeting with the consultant. The board did not take action at the meeting.
The board will revisit the nomination and any required consent forms at a future meeting after members have had time to review the consultant materials and, if needed, attend the May 29 community session.
