Skelly: Federal, state grants available for rehab
Bath to revisit historic review commission
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

BATH - Bath village board members will consider passage of a local law that would establish what one supporter called "an extra layer" of review for any building or renovation project in the village historic district.

The law, according to village board member Michael Skelly, would allow the village to qualify as a certified local government for federal and state grants that would assist property owners in the renovation of historic properties.

At the same time, skelly noted, the law would require formation of a historic commission that would review any building project that requires a permit from the municipal codes enforcement office.

"Anything that requires a building permit would have to be reviewed by the historic commission," Skelly said told the board last week during its regular monthly meeting. "We have to show the state we take historic preservation seriously."

Board members will review a draft law and discuss the matter when they meet next month.

Skelly's recommendation resembles a 2004 proposal to create an historic commission that would have the authority to designate historic buildings and review owners' renovation plans.

The idea, pushed by former board member Susan Rumsey, died for lack of support from other board members.

The composition of the board, however, has changed since 2004, with four new village residents - Skelly, Jeanne Glass, Nancy Becker and Robin Havens - holding board seats.

Additionally, Skelly maintained the newer law would not authorize a commission to identify historic buildings on its own. Building owners would request the designation in order to qualify for grant money, he said.

There may still be some reluctance on board members' part to embrace the idea, however. Havens, for example, indicated his own concern with the creation of a commission that would have authority over private property owners' building and renovation projects. "You're restricting the taxpayer on what he can do with his home," Havens told Skelly.

Bath village Mayor David Wallace suggested further village residents may be reluctant to consult a historic review commission - even if its formation qualified them for federal and state grants.

The village, Wallace noted, has secured $200,000 in funding through Steuben Church p e o p l e Against Poverty to assist Liberty Street property owners with facade renovation projects. No property owner has sought the financial support, the mayor noted.

"Owners say, 'I'd rather pay for 100 percent of the project and do it myself, rather than have someone tell me how to do it,'" Wallace said.

Skelly Thursday noted the SCAP funds covered only 50 percent of a renovation project. In contrast, he said, federal and/or state grants accessible through a local historic commission would require no matching contribution.

Board members are expected to review the proposed legislation before the December board meeting, when they will revisit the matter.