Published by the Preservation Trust of Vermont, 104 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401
http://www.ptvermont.org

IN THIS ISSUE

Silent Auction Bids Due November 15th!

Vermont News

• Preservation Grants awarded
• Defeats in Middlebury and Brandon
• Bobcat Cafe Takes off in Bristol
• Socialist Labor Hall in Barre Awarded 2002 Preservation Award
• Save America's Treasures in Vermont
• Pittsford Post Office
• Friend of Pittsford Villages Closing Statement
• Giving History a Hand by Tasha Wallace

Publications & Resources

• Protecting America's Historic Neighborhoods: Taming the Teardown Trend
• Managing Repair & Restoration Projects: A Congregation's How-To Guide

Events

• Workshop: "Main Streets, Mills and Railroads the Making of Brick Downtowns In the Connecticut River Valley", November 15, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Opportunities

• State Historic Preservation Grants
• Call for Papers, National Conference: Best Practices, Care and Repair of Covered Bridges
• Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!)

Silent Auction by Mail Bids Due November 15th!

Thanks to those of you who have already sent in bids for our 2002 Silent Auction by Mail.  We've received many generous offers and expect more as the deadline gets closer, but still many items have yet to receive bids.  Think of the auction as easy holiday gifts that friends and family will love and will benefit the Preservation Trust!

All of the auction information  -- including a great list of items donated by many businesses and individuals -- is posted on our website www.ptvermont.org  If you would prefer a paper copy  please email meg@ptvermont.org or call (802) 442-8951 with your name and address and we'll send one off right away.

We hope you will take a moment to read through this great assortment of items and make your bids today. Good luck!

VERMONT

With funding from the Freeman Foundation, the Preservation Trust recently awarded a total of $265,000 in grants to a variety of preservation projects around Vermont.  Since the partnership with the Freeman Foundation and the Preservation Trust was established in 1994, over $5.9 million in grants have been awarded to over 250 projects. These grants have played a key role in over $67 million of preservation work.  The latest round of grants includes:
 

Fletcher Memorial Library, Ludlow.  $35,000.
Built in 1899-1901, the Fletcher Memorial Library is an excellent example of high style Colonial Revival architecture. Designed by Fehmer and Page of Boston, the building is said to be a free adaptation of the Winchester School at Winchester, England.  In July, the Library began construction of a new rear entrance and elevator to provide access to all areas.  The Library Trustees raised $194,500, including an $80,000 Vermont Public Library Foundation grant, to cover this phase of the project.  The second phase, estimated to cost $121,000, will rehabilitate the basement into a Historical document/Reading Room, a Community Meeting Room, and Kitchenette.

Congregational Church, Clarendon Village.  $30,000.
The Church was built in 1825, and is one of a number of handsome brick Federal style buildings in the village.  Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, notable architectural details include arched front wall panels and unusual lozenge trim on its round arch door enframements.  After the original belfry blew off in a windstorm, a local builder, Nicholas Powers, constructed the present spire in 1881.  A recent inspection revealed that the timber structural frame of the spire and belfry is severely rotted and in danger of collapse.  Estimate for repairs is $148,000.

Shepherd House, Starksboro.  $35,000.
With overwhelming voter support, the Town  recently purchased the c.1850 Shepherd house and barn in the center of Starksboro Village.  Having bonded approximately $160,000 for the purchase, the Town is now fundraising in order to convert the house into town offices.  The project will help create a functional village center and provide needed parking for the Meeting House and Town Hall on either side of the Shepherd house.  Estimate for repairs are approximately $70,000 plus volunteer services.

Pawlet Community Church.  $25,000.
The 1841 Pawlet Community Church is listed in the State Register of Historic Places as part of the Pawlet Village Historic District. Over the past eight years, the congregation has raised over $35,000, primarily through church suppers, toward the repair of the bell tower, including fabricating and installing eight new pinnacles for the two upper stages of the tower.

Jericho Center Library and Jericho Congregational Church. $30,000.
The Federal style Jericho Center Library was built in 1825, originally serving as a church meeting room for Baptists and Congregationalists. From 1827-1845, the building was home to the Jericho Academy, the principal institution of higher education for much of the county.  From 1845-1892, it operated as a "Select School, and in 1915 the Town Library was moved from private homes to the Academy building.  Owned by the Congregational Church, the building has been well maintained (painted in July).  The Library needs to repair the bell tower, make repairs to the building frame, reinforce the second story floor joists, replace a rear staircase, and install a new water system.  Next door to the Library, the prominent brick Jericho Congregational Church contains one of the most impressive trompe l'oeil interiors in the State which needs additional restoration.

United Church of Strafford and Parsonage. $35,000.
The 1831-2 United Church of Strafford was modeled after the Baptist meetinghouse in Lyme, New Hampshire.  The church history notes that the building was raised "without rum," apparently unusual at the time. The parsonage is a c. 1830 brick Cape on Main Street in South Strafford.  For the Church, the scope of work includes rebuilding ten feet of stone foundation, repairing two roof trusses, repairing the slate roof and replacing the leaded copper roof on the cupola, rebuilding the front balustrade, replacing a section of the cornice, repairing the louvered shutter and fan, and replacing the front steps.  At the parsonage they plan to make repairs to floor joists and ceiling plaster, and replace a rotted sill at the carriage barn.

Westford Library. $25,000.
The Library is a vernacular Greek Revival structure prominently sited on the village green and listed on the Vermont State Register. The c.1844 building originally served as the Town Hall, and was extensively rehabilitated in 1896 to include library and performance spaces. Many of the surviving finishes date from this late-nineteenth century project. The library has expanded services as the community has grown and the town allocates money each year for routine maintenance, but the building requires re-roofing, frame repairs, improved cellar ventilation, and window conservation at a cost of $50,000.

Plainfield Historic Schoolhouse, Plainfield. $25,000.
The Schoolhouse was constructed c.1890 and served as a school until 1980, when it was converted to affordable housing. Situated at the north end of the village, the clapboarded vernacular Colonial Revival structure retains original massing and many early exterior details (including cupola and windows), and is listed on the National Register. The schoolhouse is regularly maintained but requires significant repairs including new roof, cupola restoration, window repairs, drainage improvements, and painting.

Tuttle Building, Rutland. $25,000.
The Tuttle Building (reconstructed in 1906 after a catastrophic fire and named for a prominent publisher) is a four-story brick commercial block in downtown Rutland that retains many early features including the elaborate brick cornice, stone lintels and capitals, and pressed metal elements on the first-floor storefront. The rehabilitation work will focus on providing first quality commercial space on the first floor, office space on a portion of the second floor, and housing in the remainder of the building. Reuse of the building is a high priority for the City. Funding for the project will come through low income and rehabilitation tax credits, VHCB, HUD Special Purpose funds, and VCDP. This grant will be used to support restoration of the facade.

Defeats in Middlebury and Brandon
Middlebury voters yesterday turned down a $5.99 million project to reshape and expand the present town office building and its attached gymnasium, and create a new police station at the site of the former sewer plant.  The proposal, the result of lengthy research and public debate, failed by a 1,443-1,334 margin.

Brandon voters also defeated by over 200 votes a $1.1 million bond to relocate its town offices and police station.  This overturned a previous decision in September to purchase a downtown building that now houses the Brandon Post Office and Otter Valley Grocery.

The Preservation Trust will continue to work with both communities to develop plans for municipal offices in their respective downtowns.
 

Bobcat Cafe Takes off in Bristol
It's been six months and The Bobcat Cafe in Bristol is going strong and meeting its mission to provide a gathering place for people from the area, according to owner Robert Fuller. Fuller decided to create the restaurant after talking with community members who felt that an English-style neighborhood pub would be just the thing to draw Bristolites together.

Full the full story, go to "Success Stories" on our website
http://www.ptvermont.org
 

Socialist Labor Hall in Barre Awarded 2002 Preservation Award
The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced the recipients of the prestigious National Preservation Awards.  The National Preservation Honor Awards are bestowed on distinguished individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies and corporations whose skill and determination have given new meaning to their communities through preservation of our architectural and cultural heritage.  Among the winners is the Socialist Labor Hall in Barre, Vermont.

Built in 1900, the Socialist Labor Party Hall served as store, school and social center for generations of workingmen and their families. Sadly, when the building closed in 1994, boxes of irreplaceable documents and photographs were hauled to the landfill. This devastating loss sparked an effort to save the hall from demolition. The local historical society purchased the building and enlisted hundreds of volunteers. Union members donated time and labor, using the opportunity to help apprentices understand the building's importance. This modest building continues to embody the spirit of the labor movement that helped build America.

"The awards celebrate the many layers and facets of America's heritage," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust. "They tell about cities, suburbs, and countryside where the real soul of the nation resides. Many of the winners overcame staggering adversity with unswerving faith in their vision. Through their tireless work, these winners make sure that America's story is told in all its exuberance and drama and diversity - that's what historic preservation is all about. They prove that it's good for business, it changes lives, it is good public policy, and it lays a strong foundation for the future."

http://www.nationaltrust.org/news/docs/20020924_awards_laborparty.html
 

Save America's Treasures Grants Awarded
$15.6 million to support restoration and conservation projects was recently awarded to 80 projects in 36 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico through the Save America's Treasures grant program. Each award requires a dollar-for-dollar non-Federal match.  The following projects in Vermont have been awarded grants:

Painted Theater Curtains of Vermont, Vermont Museum & Gallery Alliance, Woodstock
Award amount: $ 150,000
This grant will provide stabilization and conservation of 100 colorful painted theater curtains that were commissioned as prominent features of town halls, small opera houses and theaters across rural Vermont.

Shelburne House, Shelburne Farms, Shelburne
http://www.shelburnefarms.org
Award amount: $ 215,000
Originally a Gilded Age country estate and model farm, Shelburne Farms is now a National Historic Landmark working farm and education center. Grant funds will be used to upgrade the antiquated and inadequate electrical system that poses a risk to the intact Shelburne House and its finishes and furnishings.

St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, St. Johnsbury
http://www.stjathenaeum.org
Award amount: $ 399,000
A local manufacturer built this National Historic Landmark library as a gift to the people of his town in 1871. The building and furnishings remain intact. Antiquated mechanical and electrical systems will be replaced with this grant.

Save America's Treasures is a national effort to protect "America's threatened cultural treasures, including historic structures, collections, works of art, maps and journals that document and illuminate the history and culture of the United States." Established by Executive Order in February 1998, Save America's Treasures was originally founded as the centerpiece of the White House National Millennium Commemoration and as a public private partnership that included the White House, the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Dedicated to the preservation and celebration of America's priceless historic legacy, Save Americas Treasures works to recognize and rescue the enduring symbols of American tradition that define us as a nation.
http://www.saveamericastreasures.org/index.html
 

Pittsford Post Office
A note from Paul Bruhn, Executive Director, Preservation Trust of Vermont:

Vermont's village centers are very special places...they are at the heart of what community is about.  Most continue to be vibrant and active places where residents meet and gather and share a wide variety of experiences.  Village stores, town offices, schools, libraries, religious properties, and post offices are all key parts of community life.  If communities lose any one of these resources, the downward spiral begins.  Over time, one loss is followed by another and another and the sense of community suffers.  Ultimately, these places will become just bedrooms for the nearby bigger town or city.

Pittsford is one example of a place in the balance.  Years ago, the community's municipal offices moved away from the traditional village center.  Now there is a proposal to move the Post Office down the road. Only a decision by the Environmental Board stands in the way.  If they say yes, the Post Office will leave the center of the community, and the  community will be diminished. The spiral will continue downward. If the pattern continues, the very character of Vermont will be lost.

A great many Pittsford residents have joined to oppose the move, and below is the closing statement to the Environmental Board by their attorney  Stephanie Kaplan. It speaks eloquently about the issue.  We, too, hope the Board says "no."

Friends of Pittsford Village's Closing Statement
by Stephanie Kaplan, Esq.

The evidence is clear that this application should be denied for its failure to comply with several of the Act 250 criteria.  In this closing statement, I would like to focus on just one aspect, about which there has been no seriously conflicting evidence.  That involves the effect on the viability of Pittsford’s village center and the integrity of the Pittsford Green Historic District if the post office is permitted to be relocated to the outskirts of the village.

The testimony of the expert witnesses, as well as long-time Pittsford residents and historians, demonstrates that Pittsford still has an intact village core, and that this proposal to move the post office from the village center to the outskirts of the village will be the death knell for the viability of the historic center of Pittsford Village, in terms of its function and its historic significance.  While at first glance Pittsford Village may appear to be a hodge podge of different uses, a closer look -- clearly visible on the Friends’ ortho photo of Pittsford Village (Exhibit P60) -- shows that the historic village center has a concentration of commercial and civic uses, while residential uses dominate to the north and south of the village center.

The Board should keep in mind the fact that if this application to move the post office from the village center to the outskirts of the village is denied, it does not mean that Pittsford will be forever stuck with a too small building and tilted parking spaces.  The Postal Service received a viable proposal from the owner of the building in which the existing post office is located that involved tearing down the not-historic building and constructing a new, 3600 square feet building at the same location.  This proposal, discussed by John Sullivan, the former Postal Service real estate specialist (Exhibit F44), met all the specifications of the USPS, including ample parking spaces and handicap access, and, as stated in the letter, was found acceptable by Town Officials and the Postal Service architect.  Indeed, Mr. Sullivan recognized Pittsford’s village core as having “all the charm and characteristics of a historical district.”  He clearly understood the importance of keeping the post office in the village center.

There was never any reason provided by the new USPS real estate specialist, who replaced John Sullivan, for his rejection of this proposal and the decision to accept Frank Von Turkovich’s bid to construct a new post office at the outskirts of the village.  And there was no testimony submitted in this proceeding that disputes the information contained in John Sullivan’s letter.

There was also no evidence submitted to dispute the statement in John Sullivan’s letter that “the preferred site [next to Kamuda’s store in the village center] not only meets the criteria of the US Postal Service but is overwhelmingly supported by the community.”  Exhibit F44.

As Jean Vissering pointed out in her testimony at the hearing on October 9, after Mr. Sullivan was replaced, the USPS did not follow its own regulations, which require that when the USPS is considering expanding or replacing a post office facility, that its first priority is to expand the existing facility, the second priority is to find an existing building in the same area as the existing facility; and the third priority is to build on a new site, but all within the downtown area, if possible.

Why didn’t the Postal Service follow its own regulations when it was in fact possible to have a new post office in the village core area?  We don't know the answer to that, but there are some things we do know.  We do know, for instance, from John Sullivan’s letter, that at one time the Postal Service was following its regulations, and intended to work with Mr. Kamuda’s proposal to keep the post office in the village center.  We also know that it was after Mr. Sullivan was replaced that his decision to work with the existing location was reversed, and that his replacement preferred constructing a new building at a new location on the outskirts of the village.  We also know, from the testimony of Ann Cousins and Steve Libby, that the Postal Service prefers the easier way of starting with a new building on a new site, with its cookie-cutter designs and sea of asphalt parking in front of the building, rather than being flexible, which is often needed to keep post offices in village centers.

The effect of the loss of post offices from village centers is profound, and has been studied and written about in numerous publications.  The importance of maintaining the post office in the town center is recognized, for example, in the Campoli, Humstone, and MacLean book entitled Above and Beyond: Visualizing Change in Small Towns and Rural Areas (Exhibit F6, p. 107):

People in rural towns often go to the post office at least once a week.  If the post office is located in the town center, people may also stop at the library, coffee shop, gas station, or the store.  In any one of these places they are likely to run into their friends, neighbors, or town officials.  Conversations may range from current community issues to arranging a get-together or dealing with a neighbor in need.  However, if the post office is moved outside of the center to an isolated place, people must use their cars to get there, and will be less likely to run into other members of the community.

Moving the post office to the edge of the village encourages sprawl-type development, as the post office acts as a magnet for other commercial development to this new area of heavy use.  This is clearly part of the applicant's plan.  He purchased a 2+ acre property, but he is not using the whole property for the post office project.  He has subdivided the lot into two lots, and stated that the Kelley house will be used for some other commercial enterprise.  Picture a Burger King, or a 24-hour convenience store/gas station on that lot next to the post office, and imagine what that will do to the neighborhood and to the whole village, as that becomes the new magnet, rather than the existing historic center.

It is because the loss of post offices from village centers has had such a devastating effect on the vitality of villages in Vermont and elsewhere that ordinary citizens and numerous organizations, such as the Preservation Trust of Vermont, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Preservation Action, and the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, and so many others are working hard to keep post offices in downtowns and village centers.

The legal basis for the Board to consider the effect of the relocation of the post office under Criteria 8 and 9(K) will be provided with the proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.  For the sake of the future of this small Vermont town, the Friends of Pittsford Village hope you will use this opportunity to preserve the visual, historic, and social integrity of Pittsford Village and prevent it from eroding into another anonymous strip development catering to automobile uses.
 
 

Giving History a Hand
By R. Tasha Wallis
Commissioner, Department of Labor and Industry, State of Vermont

"Those who fail to understand history are condemned to repeat it,” wrote the legendary Harvard philosopher George Santayana. Had he been living today in our world of rampant development,  he might have appended, “…and those who fail to preserve history are doomed to lose it.”

Not here, though. We Vermonters are not about to lose the many beautiful symbols of our rich history. That history and its symbols are really vital parts of our everyday existence in ways found in few other states. Here, for example, 40% of Vermonters actually live in historic buildings. Twenty percent of Vermont's economy--jobs and businesses--reside in historic downtowns. More than 30,000 historic buildings are included in the Division for Historic Preservation’s inventory. With so much at stake, we go about the task of preserving these historic assets very seriously indeed. You can see evidence of this ongoing work everywhere in Vermont, from the splendid Art Deco auditorium in Brattleboro's high school to Burlington's historic Flynn Theater to East Arlington's town center to the exquisitely restored Grand Isle Lake House. These and many other beautifully restored and preserved historic architectural symbols immeasurably enrich the everyday lives of those of us lucky enough to live here. They are also an important part of the allure which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Vermont each year.

Such widely successful historic preservation requires the collaboration of many different individuals and organizations including businesses and individual property owners, nonprofit organizations, local governments, the Preservation Trust of Vermont, and the Vermont State Division for Historic Preservation.  Several divisions of the Department of Labor and Industry are involved, as well. All of us here recognize what a great privilege it is to help preserve Vermont’s historic assets and we take great pleasure in the effort. Of all our divisions, though, perhaps none is more intimately and critically involved with historic preservation than the Fire Prevention Division.

Fire Prevention Division officials face two primary challenges with every historic project: ensuring life safety while at the same time helping Vermonters who want to preserve historic buildings. Life safety concerns always have and always will come first, as our experts use their understanding of the behavior of both fire and people in fires to create safe environments for guests, employees, and customers in historic buildings.

Safety codes are the tools they use to create this absolutely essential condition of  life safety.
Codes are rules. Rules imply enforcement. Enforcement of code requirements has always been an important part of the Fire Prevention Divisions' work, but in the past has involved processes that were not as user-friendly as they could be. Inevitably, those somewhat unwieldy  processes  helped create a “construction cops”  image of Fire Prevention Division personnel. Recently, however, we completed a thorough review of our own process that began with a Legislative Task Force in 2000 and which incorporated invaluable feedback from the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Vermont State Historic Preservation Division and the Upper Stories Task Force. As a result of that review, we've made very significant changes, launching new procedures to make things easier and more comfortable than ever before for our customers without sacrificing any emphasis on fire safety.

Our first working premise, borne out by long experience, is that building owners almost always voluntarily meet safety code requirements when they understand and know in advance what their responsibilities are. Thus we're working hard to provide more observation, consultation, and recommendations up front, before work-and the formal inspection process-begin. First contact with Fire Prevention Division people usually occurs when a building owner applies for a construction permit.  Our consultation now begins right here in the first paper stage,  helping applicants understand the permit process and advising them about the details of fire safety.

After an applicant actually files his or her application, the Fire Prevention Division reviews it proactively to find any potential problems or code violations. The operative word here, of course, is potential. The Division's goal now is to help applicants spot these wrinkles and smooth them out as early as possible when it’s easier and a whole lot less expensive to do so.  For applicants’ convenience, the Division has four regional offices throughout Vermont. At this stage, applicants will usually be working with an Assistant Fire Marshal assigned to one of the Division's regional offices.

The Division's Chief Fire Prevention Officer himself is also available to answer any technical or administrative questions. In addition, his expertise is at the disposal of applicants to develop solutions to any problems, no matter how complex.  This help is available at any time to building owners and can be especially valuable to people just starting their planning.  It can also be of service in working out knotty technical problems or helping deal with sensitive historic issues.  The Division's Regional Managers are additional resources for applicants.

In addition to working more proactively with applicants, Fire Prevention Division personnel are placing more emphasis on two key processes known as “equivalent solutions” and “alternative solutions.”  These take advantage of the fact that just as there are many ways to skin the proverbial cat, there are different ways to create safe buildings.  Equivalent solutions are actually written into the fire code, but can require considerable expertise to interpret. Bob Howe, the Division's Chief Fire Prevention Officer recently worked with a building owner in North Bennington to find a rewarding equivalent solution. To open a delicatessen, the building owner was renovating the first floor of a building with an authentic, historically valuable tin ceiling which he naturally wanted to retain. But his layperson’s reading of the fire code indicated he would be required to cover or replace the ceiling. Asked to help, Bob Howe determined that the owner could keep his historic ceiling and provide equivalent safety by installing a fire alarm system and applying gypsum wallboard to an existing stairway leading to two apartments above the deli.  The equivalent solution was there, written into the code, but it required Bob’s expertise to make it work for this Vermonter.

An alternative solution is one that is not included in the code, but which works anyway while meeting the intent and objectives of the code. Recently in St. Johnsbury an owner was renovating a historic building with a narrow staircase that used “winders”, or triangular steps, rather than landings to change direction. The fire code requires winders to have a minimum tread depth of 11” at a point 12” from the narrowest edge. Rather than remove the entire historic stairway, the Fire Prevention Division determined that a wider than normal handrail installed over the stair tread's narrowest part would redirect peoples' feet to the stair tread's widest part. This helped to keep people from tripping and falling while retaining the historic stairway.

In both cases above, solutions were created and approved at the local level with a minimum of bureaucratic delay. Previously, our administrative rules required applicants seeking equivalent or alternative solutions like these to appear at a variance hearing with the Commissioner of Labor and Industry in Montpelier. We now have created a faster, more efficient local variance process that gives inspectors and regional managers greater flexibility to reach agreement and find creative solutions for building owners. Applicants can still apply to the Commissioner, but we're happy to report that most cases are now resolved locally.

All in all, the procedural changes we've implemented will make a tremendous difference not only for Vermonters working to preserve historic buildings but for all architects, builders, and owners here. From my perspective as Commissioner, I can say that it’s very rewarding to have helped make this department more user-friendly and efficient for Vermonters dedicated to preserving our history.  And you know,  I like to think that Vermont is one of the few places where that kind of change still happens.

 

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PUBLICATIONS & RESOURCES

Protecting America's Historic Neighborhoods: Taming the Teardown Trend
looks at a practice that is devastating communities around the nation:  the demolishing of existing homes to make way for dramatically larger ones on the same site. The book outlines the scope of the problem, causes, effects on historic neighborhoods, and prevention tools. $10.00
http://www.preservationbooks.org, (202) 588-6296

Managing Repair & Restoration Projects: A Congregation's How-To Guide
has just been published by the New York Landmarks Conservancy.  This step-by-step guidebook explains the basics of project planning, management, and supervision for preservation and maintenance work.  It is written for laypeople, clergy and others responsible for the care of religious properties as well as other types of historic buildings.  Call (212) 995-5260 or e-mail lucretianorelli@nylandmarks.org to order.

 

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EVENTS

Workshop: "Main Streets, Mills and Railroads the Making of Brick Downtowns In the
Connecticut River Valley"
November 15, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Learn about the development, decline and recent redevelopment of downtown's in Vermont's Connecticut River Valley.  Includes four workshops: "The Machine in the Garden: the Transformation of the New England Landscape" by Lucinda Brockway; "The Interaction of Mills and Railroads in the Built Environment of Connecticut River Brick Downtowns" by Lyssa Papazian;  "Women and Industry in Springfield VT in the World War I Era" by Carrie Brown; and "Main Streets, Mills and Railroads in the 21st Century" by Jill Michaels. The day will also include three tours: "Windsor Arts and Crafts,"  the American Precision Museum, and "Rails to River - Then and Now."

A joint project of Windsor Historic Preservation Commission, Windsor Downtown, and the Preservation Education Institute.  For information and registration call (802) 674-6752.

To download the official invitation:
http://www.vermont-towns.org/windsor/workshop2.pdf

 

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OPPORTUNITIES

State Historic Preservation Grants
Applications are now available for the Division for Historic Preservation's two matching grant programs.  The grants for Municipalities and non-profits are due at the Division office by 4:30 PM on December 16, 2002. The "Barn Grant" (agricultural buildings including barns, corn cribs, sheds etc.) applications are due at the Division office by 4:30 PM on January 11, 2002.  Both programs are for restoration work.  Most of the grants are awarded for serious problems with roofs, framing, foundations or other parts of the building where continued deterioration is likely to cause more serious problems.  The grants for municipalities and non-profits were funded at $150,000 by the legislature and the barn grants at $125,000.  The applications are not difficult to complete.  Applicants need good cost estimates and photographs showing the building, its setting and the areas where work is proposed.
If you have any questions or would like an application call Eric Gilbertson at 802-828-3043.

Call for Papers
National Conference: Best Practices, Care and Repair of Covered Bridges

Abstracts are sought for papers for a national conference on Best Practices in the Care and Repair of Covered Bridges to be held in the historic Billings Center on the campus of the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, on June 5-7, 2003.

The conference will be organized around three audience tracks:
(1) Programs for engineers and architects;
(2) Programs for contractors, tradespeople, road agents, and others charged with the repair and maintenance of covered bridges;
(3) A track for stewards of covered bridges-volunteers, municipal officials, state transportation staff or historic preservation office staff, tourism officials and others who serve as advocates for covered bridges.

Papers are sought on the following topics:
 

• Case studies of repair and maintenance projects  · Disaster planning and mitigation
• Documenting covered bridges  · Creating friends groups for bridges
• Engineering analysis of covered bridges  · Lost bridges and their heritage
• Species specificity  · Maintenance programming
• Application of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation  · The crafts of timber framing and carpentry in covered bridges
• Fire detection and suppression  · Fundraising Strategies
• Engineering or craft insights into the performance of historic trusses  · The case for building new covered bridges
• Interpreting and marketing covered bridges in the spirit of cultural tourism  · HABS/HAER, National Register and State survey programs
• Repair techniques  · Covered bridge builders
• Preferred format is via electronic submission in Microsoft Word to: coveredbridges@uvm.edu no later than the close of business December 9, 2002.


Submissions may be mailed to: The Preservation Education Institute at the above address no later than December 9, 2002.

Abstracts should be no more than 500 words.  Presentations at the conference will be approximately one-half hour in length.  If selected, presenters will be notified no later than January 17, 2003.

Final papers must be submitted no later than close-of-business April 7, 2003.

Presenters will be asked to sign a release authorizing publication of their articles either in print, electronically, or in alternate formats for people with disabilities.  Papers will be published in the conference proceedings.  Some articles may be printed in other publications and/or may be published on the Internet.  Presenters will receive complimentary tuition to the conference, conference events and a modest travel stipend.

The conference is presented as part of the National Historic Covered Bridge Program funded under Section 1224(b) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in partnership with the National Park Service, Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), is undertaking a project to document significant covered bridges in the United States. The Preservation Education Institute is working in partnership with the National Park Service (HAER in Washington, DC and the Historic Preservation Training Center in Frederick, Maryland) and the University of Vermont Historic Preservation Program to present this three-day conference.

For information, please contact Judy L. Hayward, Executive Director of the Preservation Education Institute, email inquiries to coveredbridges@uvm.edu or call 802-674-6752.  The conference web site, http://www.uvm.edu/coveredbridges will be updated with information regularly.
 

Preservation Education Institute: Workshop Schedule at a Glance
www.preservationworks.org
 

• October 25 - 27, 2002     Wooden Window Repair
• January 18 and February 8, 2003    Did Mark Twain Really Sleep Here? Learn to Write About Historic Buildings and Gardens
• February 28 - March 1, 2003    Historic Wooden Flooring
• May 16 - 17, 2003  Structural Evaluation and Repair:  Masonry
• July 10 - 13, 2003    Historic Plaster Repair
• July 14 - 15, 2003    Paint:  Historic and Contemporary Materials and Practice (Date Confirmation Pending)
• July 16 - 17, 2003    Structural Evaluation & Repair:  Timber Frame Structures (Date Confirmation Pending)
• July 18 - 19, 2003    Introduction to Architectural Photography
• Date Pending     Preservation Philosophy for People Who Maintain Old Buildings
• Date Pending     American Building Design and Technology
• Date Pending     Repointing Brick Masonry
•  
THE PRESERVATION EDUCATION INSTITUTE
A Division of Historic Windsor, Inc.
PO Box 1777, Windsor, VT 05089-0021
802-674-6752 (Voice/TTY), 802-674-6179 FAX, e-mail: histwininc@valley.net
 

Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!)
Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) worked very happily with the VMGA a few years ago to survey Vermont's outdoor sculpture. We are now circulating a low cost, low security 20-panel traveling exhibition. Our funding comes from NEH. We have an obligation--and a desire--to book the show in every state.

The exhibit features 200 images, at least one sculpture from each state, that elevates the value of local sculpture and monuments as also important to the national story. Sections concern the variety of styles, the need for collaboration, the history of making sculpture, sculptures' unifying role with national tragedy, its controversial nature, and its need for preservation. Public programs with a humanities emphasis are a must and grants up to $1000 per state ($500 per site) are provided. The only cost is shipping and insurance to the next venue, approximately $275.

To date we have 27 states booked and Vermont is not one of them. The exhibit will be hosted by historical societies, libraries, adaptive use school houses, museums, old state capitols, university campuses, arts centers, and cemeteries.

If you are interested in this exhibition, please contact VMGA.  Sarah Rooker, Executive Director, (802) 457-2671.  vmga@valley.net

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For more information about Historic Vermont, to subscribe or to unsubscribe to the email version, or to submit something for publication please contact Meg Campbell, Editor. ptv@sover.net

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