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Historic district commission discusses updating 2006 resource study, rephotography, district expansion and funding options
Summary
Commissioners proposed rephotographing downtown buildings to compare 2006 and 2026 conditions, discussed using a summer intern or volunteers to collect photos and data for a walking tour and explored procedures and support needed to expand historic district boundaries and pursue signage/fee funding.
During the July 8 meeting, commissioners reviewed the 2006 downtown resource survey and talked through a plan to document physical changes across the downtown by gathering 2026 photographs from the same vantage points.
A committee member explained the idea: "If we got photos from 2026 from essentially the same angle and we looked at them, we could see what changed," and said such a comparison would show which changes were approved by the commission and which were not.
Members discussed how to staff and deliver the work. Suggestions included recruiting a summer intern to collect photos and data, enlisting volunteers (including heritage‑room volunteers at the library) for background research, and compiling building histories to support a self‑guided walking tour. An audience member who identified as a historian said the town’s failure to promote its history digitally was "a huge miss" and urged the commission to act to attract visitors.
Commission staff explained the commission has no separate bank account and currently relies on the planning department’s fund to cover training and incidental expenses. Members discussed whether to adopt application fees to raise discretionary funds; some commissioners worried fees could deter property owners from seeking assistance for historic work.
The group also discussed digital tools for interpretation, mentioning the Clio app for historic tours and a local building‑tracking tool referred to as "Booms." Commissioners agreed that improved documentation (photos, histories, digital content) would support tourism outreach and strengthen future grant applications. Several members volunteered to follow up on interns, signage repairs and an inventory approach, and staff said they would look into procedures for formally expanding district boundaries, including statutory steps and required property‑owner support.
No formal decisions to adopt fees or expand boundaries were made; the commission adjourned after agreeing to continue the work and to follow up on staffing, funding and legal procedure.
