PreservationNation

Written by Robyn Mainor

"Preservation for Profit" seminar in Albany, GA.

Technical assistance and education takes on many roles for any preservation organization from site visits to frequent communication with property owners through email and telephone calls. Since I have been with Historic Augusta, one frequent phone call I receive is for information about the federal rehabilitation investment tax credit program and the state of Georgia’s income tax credit program for rehabilitated historic property. This is the strongest benefit for preservation projects in Georgia and carries momentum to engage other neighbors, friends, and businesses to pursue certified rehabilitation and begin stabilizing and beautifying historic districts within a community.

With the encouragement, guidance, and expertise of not only President Tennent Houston but also Executive Director Erick Montgomery and the Historic Properties Committee at Historic Augusta, a workshop and concise publication called Preservation for Profit was developed. This has been one of the most successful programs for the organization and the Partners in the Field partnership at Historic Augusta. Five workshops have been given since November 2008 with nearly sixty participants and four rehabilitation projects have applied for the tax incentives as a direct result of the workshop.

There are four objectives that are accomplished during the three hour workshop: an introduction to federal and state tax incentives and the application process, understanding the difference between a National Register of Historic Places Historic District and a local historic district, introduction to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and character defining features, and applying standards and practices through a case study. Each participant is given a copy of the publication and a detailed PowerPoint is presented and discussed by the three presenters. The registration fee for the class includes a one year membership to Historic Augusta so that they continue to participate in our events and are aware of any properties through our Endangered Properties List or individual listings of properties available for purchase and rehabilitation.

This workshop has had a wide appeal throughout the Central Savannah River Area, and in fact across the state of Georgia. Historic Augusta was invited to present the workshop for the City of Albany, Georgia’s Historic Preservation Commission and other guests in an effort to jumpstart reinvestment in their downtown. Participants for the workshop have included real estate agents who have earned continuing education credits through the certification of this workshop, elected officials, and individuals with an interest in historic resources and tools to promote historic preservation in their neighborhoods and communities. We continue to strengthen Preservation for Profit to advocate for historic preservation and we are eager to see the continued response from the community and see the number of projects utilizing this resource increase.

Robyn Mainor, is the preservation services director at Historic Augusta, Inc., in Augusta, Georgia.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 9:30 am and is filed under Teaching & Learning, partners in the field. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.