By NEELY PLUMB

PALESTINE — The Preserve America/Texas Main Street Reassessment on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 was a phenomenal success. The Resource Team that performed the assessment was very encouraging and was also very impressed by the turnout of Palestine Main Street's stakeholders. The team consisted of six professionals from Texas and New Mexico that provided tremendous insight and suggestions for improving Palestine's Main Street program.

The team consisted of Debra Farst, State Coordinator of the Texas Main Street Program, Texas Main Street Architects Howard Langner and Wayne Bell, former Texas Main Street Architect Dick Ryan, Thomas K. Yantis, Vice President of Community Planning for Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation, Round Rock, and Stephanie Redman, president of Re Surge, Inc., Albuquerque, N.M.

The resource team was very complimentary of Palestine's citizen participation and the unity of our elected officials, city management, city staff, and the citizens to improve and revitalize downtown Palestine. They said that they rarely see cities where as many groups and people are enthusiastically working together for the same goal. The “proof is in the pudding” and the results are evident with the progress and success we have experienced since January 2007. The team will issue a final report within three months and the Main Street Advisory Board will then begin to implement the ideas and suggestions in the report.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation Annual Conference was held from Oct. 13-17 in Nashville, Tenn. The sessions were very informative, particularly those presented by the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions. The Palestine Historic Landmarks Commission is a member of the organization, which is the only organization in the United States that provides training and support for Preservation Commissions. The sessions provided training for staff and commission members from around the US. Some of Palestine's staff and new commissioners attended the sessions and learned a great deal about preservation law and the procedure that must be followed when making decisions on landmark and historic designations and Certificates of Appropriateness (COA). The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation is the basis for all Historic Preservation Ordinances, including the City of Palestine's. Decisions are always based on the local preservation ordinance and/or the Secretary of the Interior's Standards.

Please remember to attend our free Historic Preservation Workshops. We invite everyone to attend the monthly lecture series, “Your Old House…or Building.” The final 2009 lecture series was held Oct. 22 at the Carnegie Building located at 502 North Queen Street next to City Hall. The meeting time is 5:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month. The October workshop was entitled “What Are Historic Landmarks and Historic Districts?” The 2010 lecture series will begin Jan. 28, 2010. We will announce the location for the 2010 lecture series in December and we look forward to seeing you next year. We also want to remind everyone that many of our workshops are funded in part by grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

We have the information and the resources that you need to make informed decisions about older and historic structures. More often than not, the information can help you to save money on your project. By calling the Historic Preservation Office at 903-724-3052, we can help you find easier and more cost effective ways to solve the challenges that sometimes come with rehabilitating an old house or building. Unfortunately, many people don't contact us and end up spending hundreds of dollars more than necessary to accomplish their goals. We are here to assist you with your project and we welcome your questions and concerns. Please contact Main Street Manager and Historic Preservation Officer Neely Plumb at (903) 724-3052, or via e-mail at nplumb@palestine-tx.org.

Be sure to ask us for a copy of the Design Guidelines Handbook that will answer most of your questions, including information on city property tax incentives, whether a property is located in a Palestine Historic District, and do's and don'ts. We can also help you determine if a structure is a designated Palestine Landmark or if it is eligible to be designated as a Palestine Landmark, a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, or it is either listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

————

Neely Plumb is the City of Palestine's Main Street Manager and Historic Preservation Officer.