Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Erie commission to draft city historic marker program and municipal archives plan
Summary
Commission staff said they will circulate draft amendments this week to create a city historic marker program for local recognition and to establish a municipal archives to centralize and digitize historic records; both items will return for fuller review in July and any adoption would go to city council.
City planning staff told the commission that draft legislation to create a local historic marker program and a municipal archives will be circulated to commissioners this week, with fuller discussion set for the commission’s July meeting and any formal adoption subject to city council approval.
The staff presentation described the marker program as a mechanism to place free‑standing signs recognizing people, foods and other local topics that do not meet the higher threshold required by the state marker program. “This is a recommendation that came out of our historic preservation plan,” the staff member said, adding the goal is to “recognize local people, local things that had an impact on us that may not necessarily rise to that threshold.” The staff member said commissioners will receive the original draft and a redlined version showing changes made after City Legal review.
Staff also proposed creating a municipal archives tied to the commission to centralize records currently held across multiple city offices, digitize subject collections and make historic materials accessible to the public. “There are a lot of historic records here within the city that are living in individual offices,” the staff member said, and staff noted that grants exist to support digitization and equipment but that more internal structure is required before the city could be competitive for those funds.
Process and next steps were described as: staff will circulate draft amendments to commissioners by the end of the week; the commission will be able to provide comments and, at its July hearing, could make a recommendation to city council; the proposed materials will be posted on the city website for public comment, and any consultant work or contracts will later be sent to council for ratification.
Commissioners and staff said they will coordinate with the History Center on existing collections and stewardship. Commissioner questioning and staff responses stressed that no formal vote was needed at this meeting; staff said the matter will return in July for further review.
