JACKSONVILLE — Attention owners of Jacksonville's historic buildings: Is your old porch pooped? Are your bricks broken? Does your fence need new finials?
If so, you are invited to apply for a matching-fund grant with the city's new Historic Preservation Fund program, said Abbi Jo Wittman, Jacksonville special projects coordinator.
To protect Jacksonville's national historic landmark status, city ordinances require owners to maintain their historic structures, said Wittman. Thanks to bequests from the estates of longtime resident Vern Beebe and former Historical and Architectural and Review Commission Chairwoman Linda Scovill, $25,000 in grant money is available to help, said Wittman.
"We are encouraging people to think about their building and how it affects the overall character of Jacksonville," said Wittman. "And since we are in a position to give out money, we should."
Alice McGee owns a building on the corner of Oregon and California streets. McGee says a certain level of community responsibility comes with owning an historic building.
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But McGee said she is "tickled" there may be grant money to help pay for necessary but costly repairs on her small brick building, which was built in 1852.
The aged bricks need to be "tuck-pointed," she said. To make the repairs, skilled masons must take 2 to 3 feet of the brick from the top of the walls. After the bricks are re-stacked and re-mortared, the building will also need a new roof, she said.
"It's a major deal," said McGee, who is gathering estimates on the expensive process. "You can't just call a handyman. And I'm just tickled that there will be any kind of grant money available."
Jacksonville has 180 historic structures, Wittman says. Invitational postcards were mailed to the buildings' owners earlier this week informing them of the dollar-for-dollar matching grant, she says. HARC could award one $25,000 grant, or 25 $1,000 grants, or any amount in between, she added.
Wittman said wading through HARC rules for refurbishing and/or restoring historic buildings in Jacksonville can be challenging. But in order to give the owners a better chance at presenting HARC with an acceptable application, city staff will provide free consultations on the process with City Planner Scott Clay, Wittman said.
"The city's typical $100 application conference fee will be waived for grant applicants," she said.
The deadline for applications is March 1, and awards will be granted beginning April 30, says Wittman. Winners will have 180 days after the awards are finalized to complete their projects.
"Although they can apply for a one-time extension of (an additional) 180 days," Wittman says.
For more information, visit www.cityofjacksonvilleoregon.com or call Wittman at 899-1231.
