Easton's Local Historic District Ordinance
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City of Easton
Bureau of Codes and Inspections
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1 South 3rd Street
Easton, PA 18042
610-250-6724
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Preservationist, database requested. Commission meets. Goal is to preserve Easton's notable assets.
Monday, November 28, 2005
By EDWARD SIEGER
The Express-Times
EASTON | The city's newly formed Historic District Commission met for the first time this month, appointing officers and urging city
council to apply for a pair of state grants.
Commission Chairman Robert Sedey said the seven-member board recommended the city apply for a $25,000 Certified Local
Government grant and a $5,000 Historic Preservation Program grant.
The $25,000 grant would pay for a part-time preservationist and help the city defray printing costs for permit applications and other
educational material. The $5,000 grant would be used to establish an electronic database of buildings within the Local Historic District.
"It's a great opportunity for the City of Easton," Sedey said. "Our goal is to preserve and protect the historical assets the city has from
this date forward."
Under the recently approved local historic district ordinance, property owners within the district must apply for a certificate of
appropriateness before undertaking any facade work. A preservationist would conduct initial reviews and present plans to the
commission.
Sedey said Bethlehem utilizes a similar arrangement, and the grant would allow Easton to hire a preservationist on an hourly basis. The
preservationist would not receive health benefits.
After a portion of the city was added to the National Register of Historic Places, someone created a handwritten inventory of the
properties within the district, Sedey said. That list has not been updated since 1983 and "is not terribly extensive," he said.
The $5,000 grant would be used to create an electronic inventory that includes the historical description, age and architectural style of
each building within the district, Sedey said. The commission hopes to receive state funding in time to hire a preservationist by March,
he said.
Michel R. Lefevre with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission said Easton must first receive certified local government
status before the grant money starts to flow. But certification is a fairly routine matter provided the city shows it implemented a
historic district ordinance and appointed a commission, he said.
"It's surprisingly easy provided the basic requirements are met, which they have," Lefevre said.
The state historical commission each year administers historic preservation grant money provided through the U.S. Department of the
Interior, Lefevre said. The state is required to dedicate 10 percent of its annual funding to certified local governments, and once Easton
becomes certified, only 33 municipalities statewide will be eligible for the money, he said.
The state typically receives between 10 and 14 applications a year, Lefevre said. Bethlehem and Lancaster routinely apply for and
receive preservation funding, he said.
"There's enough money to go around for projects that are not overly expensive to implement," Lefevre said.
If Easton receives a grant, it must make a 40 percent match with money, in-kind services or a combination of the two.
Council passed resolutions this month giving the administration permission to apply for the grants.
Reporter Edward Sieger can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at esieger@express-times.com.
