The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the West Virginia Division of
Culture and History will conduct a series of public meetings across the state to discuss future historic preservation activities in West Virginia. The meetings are free and open to the public.
In 2002, the SHPO published a five-year statewide comprehensive historic preservation plan. It included goals and objectives for the office and for use by local government agencies, property owners, non-profit organizations and other interested individuals. The plan will be revised in 2007 based partly on public input through this series of public meetings. The SHPO is interested in obtaining input regarding the current plan as it relates to future historic preservation efforts and revised goals for inclusion in the plan. A questionnaire also will be available on the Division’s website shortly.
The meetings will take place in March, April and May and all will be moderated by Patricia Pitrolo, president and chief executive officer of Bradley Strategies LLC. The March meetings are as follows:
March 5, Keyser High School, Keyser, contact Kermit Garretson, (304) 788-3989 or kgarretson@mail.gcnet.net
March 6, Town of Bath Municipal Center, Berkeley Springs, contact Nancy Harvey at (304) 258-6382 or nrharv33@earthlink.net
March 15, Randolph County Community Arts Center, Elkins, contact Phyllis Baxter at (304) 642-7427 or phyllisb@meer.net
March 20, Bruce McDaniel Complex, Morris Park, Fairmont, contact Vera Sansalone at (304) 366-0468 or versansalone@wvdsl.net (This meeting was originally scheduled for Feb. 8, but cancelled due to inclement weather.)
March 27, West Virginia Independence Hall, Wheeling, contact Melissa Brown at (304) 238-1300 or melissa.brown@wvculture.org
Additional meetings are being scheduled for Lewisburg, Summersville, Huntington, Parkersburg, Williamson and Charleston.
The current statewide comprehensive historic preservation plan is available from our website at http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/fiveyearplan/index.html. For more information, contact Susan M. Pierce, deputy state historic preservation officer, at (304) 558-0240, ext. 158, or by e-mail at susan.pierce@wvculture.org.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the state capitol complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action
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