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Suggested Action Items to Achieve Goals and
Objectives
The bulleted items under many of the following objectives are
suggested action items that SHPO staff hope to carry out over the
next five years to help achieve the goals put forth in this plan.
The action items are ambitious and may need to be postponed or
canceled pending funding or other unforseen circumstances. Again,
we encourage other entities in West Virginia to use the goals,
objectives and action items to guide their own historic
preservation activities in helping to implement this plan.
1. GOAL: Educate West Virginians about the wealth and
value of our state’s heritage, the resources that embody it,
and the opportunities that historic preservation offers our
communities
Objectives
1.1 Bring West Virginia’s heritage and historic
resources to the forefront of the classroom
• Cooperate with PAWV in promoting and disseminating existing
historic preservation curriculum to schools across the state
• Create two new lesson plans per year, one each to accompany
Archaeology Month and Preservation Week materials sent to the
schools
• Publish two issues of Details for Kids per year, one to
coincide with Archaeology Month, the other with Preservation
Week
1.2 Impart the importance and opportunities that
preservation offers to the general public
• Promote the benefits of National Register status
• Conduct hands-on workshops on a variety of subjects, such as
cemetery preservation, building repair and how to write a National
Register nomination
• Create and disseminate brochures about the programs and
opportunities available through SHPO
• expand Details mailing list
1.3 Educate West Virginia’s elected and appointed
officials
• update SHPO newsletter mailing list to include local and
regional officials
• invite officials to attend preservation related events or
projects in progress in their region
• continue to participate in West Virginia History Day
• develop opportunities to educate local and county law
enforcement officials about state laws pertaining to historic
resources
1.4 Use a variety of media to foster a positive image about
historic preservation
• expand existing SHPO website and update it regularly
• issue news releases to newspapers, radio and television
stations around the state to inform the public about preservation
initiatives and successes
• develop categories to recognize successful preservation
efforts and present annual awards
2. GOAL: Promote historic preservation as an economic
development tool, and create economic incentives to further
preservation efforts
Objectives
2.1 Foster a preservation-friendly environment for
development projects
• cooperate with Main Street in promoting historic
preservation as an economic development tool
• hold meetings with developers and realtors to promote the
ideals of historic preservation
• publish historic preservation success stories
2.2 Support and initiate efforts to establish and further
historic preservation incentives such as tax abatements and
easement programs
• work with the IRS, state tax department and local assessors
to further understanding of state and federal tax code as it
pertains to historic preservation
• meet with state tax department to develop consistent
guidelines about tax credits and easements
2.3 Promote the use of existing incentive programs such as
federal and state income tax credits and preservation
easements
• meet with consultants who work on tax credit projects
• publish information about preservation easements
• distribute tax credit information
3. GOAL: Encourage and support efforts to identify,
evaluate, study, and designate significant structural and
archaeological resources
Objectives
3.1 Continue to work with the public in nominating
properties to the National Register
• investigate ways to aid the public in processing black and
white film
3.2 Continue survey efforts around the state
• identify areas of the state where further survey effort is
needed
• work with Certified Local Governments to complete countywide
survey efforts
• identify property types that are under-represented in SHPO
survey files
• continue efforts to survey cemeteries around the state
3.3 Explore different ways to accomplish surveys in areas of
the state where there is no Certified Local Government or Historic
Landmark Commission support
3.4 Continue the development of historic context
statements
• prioritize themes to explore
• find funding and/or partners to develop and publish
them
• identify context statement themes that staff can
develop
• evaluate and revise as necessary the usefulness of
established procedures for updating context statements as well as
geographic regions identified in the 1996 state plan
3.5 Explore the creation of a State Archaeologist
position
3.6 Explore ways to create and maintain a State Register of
Historic Places
3.7 Explore ways to increase archaeological survey efforts
around the state
4. GOAL: Identify, increase and provide financial
resources to assist preservation efforts
Objectives
4.1 Continue to provide money for survey and planning and
development grants to support historic preservation activities
across the state
• Work with the legislature to maintain/increase current
levels of state funding
• Explore alternative sources of match for federal survey and
planning grants
• Explore ideas and ways to improve the development grant
cycle to better meet the needs of constituents
4.2 Continue to provide technical assistance to the public
about historic preservation grant programs
• provide information and assistance to the public about how
to complete the application process
• provide training to grant recipients to aid them in the
completion of the grant cycle and help in the understanding of
management requirements
4.3 Cooperate with state agencies and support their efforts
to protect historic resources in their ownership
• support legislative efforts of other agencies to protect
historic resources
• cooperate with other agencies in their efforts to increase
maintenance budgets for historic resources
• provide technical assistance
4.4 Identify, expand and diversify alternate historic
preservation funding sources, and publicize their
availability
5. GOAL: Support and strengthen preservation activities
of federal and state agencies, local govern- ments and community
organizations, and encourage the inclusion of historic preservation
in planning efforts
Objectives
5.1 Foster and support Certified Local Governments so that
they become active, viable organizations
• help cultivate cooperation between Historic Landmark
Commissions and their local governments
• facilitate cooperative efforts among Historic Landmark
Commissions and Certified Local Governments around the state
• provide mechanisms to facilitate communication among
Certified Local Governments and with the state office
5.2 Continue to carry out Section 106 responsibilities and
maintain good relationships with agencies and cultural resource
management professionals
• create and distribute handouts that streamline the Section
106 process
• make Section 106 information available on the SHPO
website
5.3 Increase community involvement in historic preservation
efforts
• work cooperatively with West Virginia Development Office
Main Street program in training and other efforts to conduct
preservation- related activities
• cooperate with Community Design Team and other
community-based activities
5.4 Expand and strengthen the network of preservation
partners
• create new partnerships with groups such as the Vandalia
Heritage Foundation, West Virginia Planning Association and West
Virginia Land Trust
• strengthen partnerships with state agencies such as Division
of Natural Resources, Departments of Tourism and Agriculture, and
Division of Highways
• continue to maintain strong ties with the Preservation
Alliance of West Virginia, NCHA and others
• foster the development of relationships with convention and
visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce and other community
groups
5.5 Encourage the inclusion of historic preservation in
planning efforts of federal, state and local agencies
• cooperate with attempts to revise State Planning Code and
state building code to provide protective mechanisms for historic
properties, i.e. historic zoning, demolition permits
• assist in educating West Virginians about the benefits of
zoning and planning ordinances
• continue to cooperate with the State Fire Marshal in the
implementation of code enforcement
6. GOAL: Encourage protection through appropriate
management and treatment of historic resources
Objectives
6.1 Assist federal, state and local agencies in becoming
responsible stewards of those resources in their care or those that
are affected by their activities
• Ensure that agencies have functioning cultural resource
management plans for historic properties
6.2 Promote the use of the Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards and Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties,
particularly among property owners and those in the building
industries
6.3 Promote imaginative solutions to help protect abandoned
or underused historic resources
• identify new uses for vacant and underused resources
• assist realtors in locating buyers who will protect historic
resources
6.4 Continue to provide development grant money for the
rehabilitation of historic properties to ensure that efforts meet
the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and other
appropriate guidelines
6.5 Continue building solid working relationships with
organizations such as the Archaeological Conservancy to help
protect historic resources
6.6 Promote individual responsibility for the protection of
statewide archaeological resources
• publish and distribute literature promoting the preservation
of archaeological resources
• cooperate with groups such as the West Virginia
Archaeological Society and the Council for West Virginia Archeology
to identify and protect endangered resources
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