Gerald city officials have asked the Planning & Zoning Commission to take the first steps in getting the city approved as a Certified Local Government (CLG).
According to the Missouri …
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Gerald city officials have asked the Planning & Zoning Commission to take the first steps in getting the city approved as a Certified Local Government (CLG).
According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, becoming a CLG can facilitate the partnerships between local communities, the State Historic Presrvation Office and the National Parks Service.
CLGs are allowed access to grants that could provide surveys, professional assistance, planning and outreach and education in historical preservation. Technical assistance in historical preservation can then be provided through partner agencies.
Community development can also be supported. This would come from using nationally recognized preservation standards and by integrating historic preservation with community planning.
The CLG program was created as part of the 1980 amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. It was designed to expand the federal-state partnership to include local governments. Preservation includes not just historic buildings, but can be expanded to include objects, landmarks, and historic archaeological resources.
The local P&Z commission took their first look at the application process at Tuesday’s meeting. They will forward their recommendations to the Board of Aldermen.
First steps will be adopting an historic district ordinance and appointing a five-member Historic District Commission.
Property owners with historic buildings on their sites have shown strong interest in the proposal.
City officials have emphasized their desire to force no one into an historical district against their will. The goal is to create districts that will provide support for owners of historical buildings, buy not to burden those who have no interest in historical preservation.
Missouri currently has 60 CLGs. The state is required to provide at least 10 percent of the federal Historic Preservation Funds (HPF) it receives for exclusive use by CLGs. HPF grants are funded on a 60/40 ratio with 60 percent of the project cost coming from federal funds and 40 percent provided by the applicant.
