The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, in collaboration with the Shepherdstown Historic Landmark Commission, is offering a historic landmark commission training session on Saturday, May 17. The free session will be held at the Shepherdstown Men’s Club, 102 East German St., from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Members of historic landmark commissions, interested government officials and the general public are encouraged to attend.
Susan West Montgomery, former president of Preservation Action, the national grassroots lobbying network based in Washington, DC, will join SHPO staff as a workshop leader in Shepherdstown. “I am pleased that Ms. Montgomery is joining us for the workshop,” states Susan M. Pierce, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer. “Her refreshing approach toward working with government officials will be helpful to our local historic landmark commissions.” Montgomery received her master’s degree in American Studies, Historic Preservation Program, from George Washington University.
The training session also will explore how cities and counties can encourage preservation in their communities through historic landmark commissions. Topics of discussion will include certified local government designation, meeting procedures, roles and responsibilities of historic landmark commissions, financial incentives, National Register of Historic Places, local historic district designations, design review, and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards.
Seating is limited and registration is required by Monday, May 12, for the Shepherdstown session. To register, contact Amy Boyd with the City of
Shepherdstown at (304) 876-2398, or by e-mail at clerk@shepherdstown.us.
This training session is the third of several regional workshops for historic landmark commissions throughout the state. Anyone interested in sponsoring a workshop should contact Chris Knorr, certified local government coordinator for the SHPO, at (304) 558-0240, or by e-mail at chris.knorr@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 Employer.
- 30 -
