What happens when you ask the right questions of the right people? You get great responses, that’s what. Such is the case with the results of the Fall 2009 Survey recently conducted by Preservation Ohio.

The answers shared were a treasure trove of information – over 100 narrative answers were shared on various topics, in addition to those filling out only the multiple choice questions. From funding ideas, to partnership ideas, to suggestions for change and improvement, those answering the survey clearly showed their strong interest in empowering Ohio’s statewide preservation and revitalization movements. This past Saturday, Preservation Ohio’s Board of Trustees met and considered this input as it sat out to draft a vision for the coming year.

As promised, some of the answers are included below – including the results to every multiple-choice question. We have included a sampling of narrative answers as well to give you a taste of what was on the minds of Ohioans as they completed the survey - again, some of the questions generated dozens and dozens of narrative responses.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in our survey!

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PRESERVATION OHIO FALL SURVEY

 

In your opinion, what are the greatest threats to or issues confronting historic preservation and preservation-based downtown and neighborhood revitalization in Ohio? (Please choose one or more, but no more than three).

 

ANSWER                                                                                                                                               PERCENT

 

Lack of available financial assistance for renovation                                                                  44

 

Absent of inconsistently applied local regulations                                                                       38

 

Lack of awareness about the benefits of historic preservation                                                  60

 

Aggressiveness of and political clout of the development community                                    22

 

Lack of a strong statewide preservation non-profit organization                                              16

 

Confusion about costs of renovation versus replacement                                                         33

 

Lack of awareness about the relationship between preservation and                                     42

sustainable development

 

Other:

 

·         The general state of economy and business in Ohio

·         Demolition policies

·         Duplication by having 2 preservation statewide groups causes confusion

·         Excessive demolition because of “blight”

·         Lack of public ethic toward history, preservation or heritage

Which area of preservation is of particular interest to you? Please choose as many answers as apply.

 

Historic house or building renovation and restoration                                                                 69

 

Local preservation organizations and efforts                                                                                 64

 

Supporting preservation and revitalization on a statewide basis                                              36

 

Revitalization of Ohio downtowns                                                                                                    73

 

Promotion of heritage tourism – locally, regionally or statewide                                               53

 

Revitalization of Ohio’s traditional neighborhoods                                                                       55

 

Other:

 

·         Save Over-the-Rhine!

·         Historic schools – preservation and reuse as something new

·         Historic school renovation for continued use

·         Presentation of preservation technology for homeowner

·         Historic farmland preservation

Please indicate the geographical area of Ohio in which you live:

 

Northeast                                                                                                                                              36

 

Northwest                                                                                                                                              9

 

Central                                                                                                                                                   31

 

Southeast                                                                                                                                              4

 

Southwest                                                                                                                                             20

In your opinion, what are the primary opportunities or services that a statewide preservation organization needs to address? Please choose no more than three answers.

 

Creating opportunities for local preservationists to connect for advice and support            50

 

Providing technical advice                                                                                                                33

 

Providing information on funding                                                                                                    58

 

Assistance with local advocacy                                                                                                        40

 

Help with downtown revitalization                                                                                                   33

 

Help with neighborhood revitalization                                                                                            38

 

Organizational development assistance                                                                                        15

 

Local downtown and preservation program management services                                        25

 

Other:

 

·         Advocacy in Columbus at the state level

·         All of the above

·         Continued educational use of Ohio’s historic schools

·         Lobbying state for preservation dollars

How can Preservation Ohio, as a statewide preservation organization, better serve you and your community? With what programs or services?

 

·         Encouraging Springfield in their efforts to save and rehab our historical buildings and neighborhoods rather than their typical approach of destroy and "put up a parking lot." We need to save Memorial Hall and the old Springfield South High School buildings.

·         Help Cincinnati overturn its aggressive, anti-preservation demolition policies; help promote Cincinnati's preservation bargains on a national level.

·         I think it needs to support the local groups by lobbying and funding and then technical support.

·         Provide sources or support for funding or financing for private individuals to engage in preservation efforts. Or, serve as a central organization to assist individuals with acquiring said financing.

·         Local advocacy and offering alternative development strategies to demolition.

·         Information on grants and lobbying at the state level, that no property with a historical designation could be destroyed with private money

·         I think Preservation Ohio can better serve the communities of Ohio by informing citizens of the benefits of preservation. Not many people today know how much preserving our history can help us prepare for the future.

·         Downtown revitalization and incentives

·         Get the word out to communities that help IS available!

·         I believe that there should be more public awareness about the importance of preservation/restoration.

·         Directing us to appropriate tools and educating us about the processes we may undertake.

·         More funding and tax incentives to preserve rather than tear down and build new, inferior structures.

·         Highlight sources of funding & grant opportunities.

·         Local governments need educated on long range benefits to the local communities by preserving our heritage for future generations and adaptive reuse of historic structures and their positive impact to the local economy including their architectural appeal.

·         Merge with Heritage Ohio and engage a wider audience through effective planning and communications.

·         Serve as central information clearing house.

·         By helping remove the stereo-typical view that historic schools can not be renovated to provide a 21st century education.

·         Merge with Heritage Ohio.

·         Preservation Ohio is already doing a good job; please continue stoking the enthusiasm of the existing preservation community, and welcoming/encouraging future Ohio preservationists.

·         We need greater advocacy on Preservation and a stop to demolition in our neighborhoods.

Are you currently, or have you been a member of Preservation Ohio (or the Ohio Preservation Alliance) within the past 5 years? (40 answers, 15 skipped).

 

Yes                                                                                                                                                         25

 

No                                                                                                                                                           75

 

Other:

 

·         I just receive the e-mails as well as read the articles on the website.

·         Our organization belongs.

.      Will join shortly; however, currently only involved from a distance via the Internet.

We're turning to Ohioans for some advice and assistance.

Preservation Ohio warmly invites you to take our 2009 Fall Survey, which is designed to provide information to enable us to better serve Ohioans in the areas of historic preservation, downtown/neighborhood revitalization and heritage tourism. To assist you with the survey, we also invite you to read the list below of organizational achievements during the preceding 12 months.This survey is easy and quick to take, and is designed so that it can be taken in a completely anonymous fashion. Should you enter your name and contact information in the final survey response, however, you will be entered into a drawing for a limited edition set of "Moo cards" showcasing the 2009 List of Ohio's Most Endangered Historic Sites. The survey will remain online through November 5, and results will be released the next week, after Preservation Ohio's Fall Board Meeting in Columbus.The wider range of views and voices we can listen to, the better we can help Ohio's communities, organizations and individuals working to preserve the state's historic resources. Thank you for taking the time to help; click here to take the survey.

PRESERVATION OHIO GOALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS - OCTOBER 2008 TO OCTOBER 2009

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LOCAL ASSISTANCE.

Preservation can transform Ohio’s cities and towns through fostering economic development and an outstanding quality of life. To do so, Ohioans need the latest and most effective tools for preservation and revitalization right in their own communities.

GOAL. Identify and share the latest and best preservation tools with as many communities as possible.

12-MONTH ACHIEVEMENTS:

• Provided resource information, press releases and interviews for media in Toledo, Columbus, Mansfield, Dayton, Hamilton, Springfield, Athens and Cincinnati.
• Presented to groups in Mansfield, New Philadelphia, Dayton, Galion and Yellow Springs.
• Co-hosted “Financial Incentives for Historic Properties” with the Columbus Landmarks Foundation, Columbus’ first workshop on tax-based incentives for preservation in many years, as well as a day-long house renovation workshop in north central Ohio.
• Became the first statewide preservation organization nationally to host “real-time” interactive online discussions on preservation issues and opportunities.
• Worked directly with individuals, organizations and local government in over 20 Ohio communities.

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ADVOCACY AND PROTECTION.

Ohio’s historic resources are threatened on a continual basis by demolition, neglect, lack of appreciation and/or misunderstanding.

GOAL. Continue effective programming and develop new efforts to promote the cause of significant endangered Ohio places.

12-MONTH ACHIEVEMENTS:

• Compiled and issued the 2009 List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites, a program now in its 16th year. During May and June, we made visits to listed and threatened properties in Columbus, Yellow Springs, Hamilton, Dayton, Springfield, and Tiffin.
• Provided testimony, presence and support to our friends in Tiffin and the Courthouse and Downtown Redevelopment Group in their efforts to preserve the endangered Seneca County Courthouse.
• Became the first and only statewide preservation organization in Ohio, and one of very few nationwide, to join local legal proceedings where important preservation issues are being considered. Because of potential legal precedent, our involvement was designed to protect the viability of historic preservation and design review ordinances in every Ohio community where the future of public buildings is being considered.
• Participated on the planning committee of the annual Statehood Day, which gives Ohioans the opportunity to share the message that “History Works” with their elected representatives, and to seek both funding and preservation-friendly state policies.

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BUILDING A STRONG STATEWIDE COMMUNITY FOR PRESERVATION.

Ohio’s preservation community suffers from a lack of cohesion and from multiple groups working in ways that waste resources and produce a disjointed message.

GOAL. Build a strong, vocal constituency for historic preservation in Ohio in all of its forms.

12-MONTH ACHIEVEMENTS:

• Launched The Ohio Preservation Network, America’s first social network designed exclusively for statewide preservation and revitalization. Through the site, Ohioans can now easily share preservation news, stories, events, opportunities and enthusiasm, and gain access to key resources.
• Forged new ground in the use of online social networking to build a strong, cohesive community for preservation, and to provide public relations opportunities for our members and affiliate communities:
• Hosted the most-followed organizational Twitter page of any statewide preservation organization in the country. Each month, our stories and links are now re-posted, and our stories are clicked, over 1,000 times. We continue to build a strong presence on Facebook, Flickr, LinkedIn, YouTube and other forms of social media.
• We continue to publish America’s first and oldest self-authored statewide preservation blog, MyHometownOhio, which celebrated its third anniversary this summer.
• Worked with statewide and regional preservation organizations in other parts of the country to share best practices and tips on social media.
• Hosted National Preservation Conference Twitter Central, the only location online for access to all Twitter entries from the 2009 Nashville Conference, including photos and videos.

On October 23, Preservation Ohio will host its third "live blog" of the year -- this time with a topic of "Social Media Meets Preservation", which will look at the relationship between the world of social media on one hand, and Ohio preservation and revitalization on the other.

An increasing number of statewide and local preservation and revitalization organizations are waking up to the potential of social networking to generate positive awareness, support and revenue. Perhaps the most important benefit of this new area of communication is the ability to build community behind a mission or project. From Facebook to Twitter; from Tumblr to Flickr - as we near the end of the first decade of the 21st century, the potential of social media is outstanding. Learn about best practices, tips and ideas to use social media to your advantage, including exciting projects now launching that use social media to help to communicate the message of preservation and revitalization. We'd be thrilled to welcome statewide and local preservation, Main Street and other preservation-related organizations to the discussion as well.

Preservation Ohio is a national leader in the use of social media to advance the cause of statewide historic preservation. From hosting the country's first and oldest blog on preservation, to owning the most-followed Twitter page for any organization in America, to launching the country's first stand-alone social network for preservation -- we have alot to share! Join us on October 23, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, on any Preservation Ohio website -- including on the main website, on the Ohio Preservation Network, and on this page.

Over the last few months, several Ohio preservation and downtown revitalization organizations have established a more thorough presence on Facebook with the creation of an official “Page.”

Facebook Pages are a more robust version of the former Facebook Groups, the latter of which basically allowed only static information, simple posts and some discussion. Pages have all of this and more, including the ability for those registered as “fans” to receive updates on their own individual sites. Pages can also be outfitted with applications, which provide increased functionality and features.

Both the Cincinnati Preservation Association and Columbus Landmarks Foundation have active Facebook Pages, which are updated often with news, event information, advocacy alerts and more. Fans can comment on these posts, can add their own content, and can embed posts them on their own pages.

Downtown revitalization organizations with Facebook Pages include Downtown Mansfield, Inc., Main Street Kent, the Heritage Centre Association (Mount Vernon), Main Street Oberlin, the Main Street Area Association (Hamilton), the Marysville Uptown Renewal Team, Main Street Canal Winchester, Main Street Medina, Main Street Orrville and Main Street Delaware.

Preservation Ohio’s Facebook Page includes all of the standard features, as well as our latest “Tweets,” the most recent photographs posted on our Flickr page, and the ability to easily invite friends to the page.  The Preservation Ohio Facebook Page interconnects with both our website and the new Ohio Preservation Network. Together, through Twitter, Facebook, the Ohio Preservation Network, Flickr and our blog, MyHometownOhio, Preservation Ohio now enjoys between 2,000 and 3,000 friends, fans, followers and subscribers just through online social networking. All of this work is an attempt to build a cohesive and effective community for preservation and preservation-based revitalization in Ohio.

To access any of the Facebook Pages for the organizations referred to in this post, visit www.facebook.com/preservationohio and look for the “Favorite Pages” in the left-hand column. And, while you’re there, please become a “fan” of Preservation Ohio!

Tuesday’s day-long workshop in Columbus, co-sponsored by Preservation Ohio and the Columbus Landmarks Foundation, turned out to be more of a conversation than a series of staid presentations. From the beginning breakfast panel discussion on local building issues in Columbus, all the way to the final session of the day, the emphasis was combining the latest information on financial incentives for preservation with the opportunity to dialogue with experts on each of those tools.

Speakers and panelists included the following:

•    Vince Papsidero - Planning Administrator, City of Columbus
•    Don DeVere - President, DeVere LLC
•    Laura MacGregor Comek, Esq. - Crabbe, Brown & James
•    Charissa W. Durst - President, Hardlines Design Company
•    Robert Loversidge - Principal, Schooley Caldwell Associates
•    Jeffrey Darbee and Nancy Recchie - Owners, Benjamin D. Rickey & Co.
•    Thomas Palmer - Executive Director, Preservation Ohio
•    Mark Lundine - Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program Coordinator, Ohio Department of Development
•    Judith Kitchen - Technical Preservation Services Department Head, Ohio Historic Preservation Office

Topics included use of the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit, Clean Ohio funding, the new Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit, the use of historic conservation easements, New Markets Tax Credits, and more.

Anonymous evaluations of the event included the following comments:

•    “All of these topics are very interesting. Very practical information.”
•    “This was the most useful presentation on historic preservation financial aid that I have ever seen. Many thanks for putting this all together.”
•    "Good! Program!"
•    "A great seminar."
•    "Terrific, well-informed speakers, good selection of topics for background information."

This was the first workshop of its kind in Columbus in some time, and participants were clearly anxious to continue the discussion after sessions and into the future. Preservation Ohio has been involved in similar workshops over the last three years in other Ohio locations, and is already lining up venues to continue the series in the coming months.

Photos: Preservation Ohio File Photos

by Thomas Palmer, Executive Director

On Tuesday, I will be speaking on the subject of historic conservation easements at “Financial Incentives for Historic Properties,” a day-long workshop on tax benefits for preservation work co-sponsored by Preservation Ohio and the Columbus Landmarks Foundation.

As you can imagine, easements have occupied my thoughts as of late as I prepared for this presentation. The attendees to the event will be diverse – including many to obtain continuing education credit for architects, lawyers and real estate professionals. And, as the event is taking place somewhere other than Cleveland or Cincinnati where historic conservation easements are better known, it is likely that for many this will be their first exposure to this important tool for preservation.

Two facts highlight the importance of historic conservation easements – also known as “preservation easements.” First, unlike the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit, the tax incentive for easement donation is equally available to owners of non income-producing properties – that is, your family home if you so choose. Second, and perhaps most importantly, they represent the only “slam-dunk” path toward preserving the historic resources of a given property, for many reasons:

• Placement on the National Register of Historic Places, or inclusion in a National Register Historic District, provides no protection against alteration or even demolition if federal funding is not used.
• While many Ohio communities have historic preservation or design review ordinances that provide protection, not every community has the resources to provide ongoing monitoring.
• Decisions of administrative boards can be appealed and can therefore have the potential to end up in politically-charged settings.
• Not all design review or historic preservation ordinances protect against demolition. Even if an ordinance protects a property, many ordinances allow for an economic hardship appeal, and the decision may be challenged legally on that basis.
• More than one Ohio community has actually rescinded a preservation ordinance.

Its little surprise that noted preservationist Arthur P. Ziegler, Jr. once said, “There are only two sure ways to save a building: you either have to own it or protect it through an easement.”

While the easement program nationwide has been in a state of flux over the last several years, some clarity is returning and the tool is again being used in many locations. Click here for an introduction to historic conservation easements on our website.

Photo: Pennsylvania House, Springfield - Preservation Ohio File Photo

This week marks the arrival of Preservation Ohio's newest staff member - our new Assistant, Kendra Scott Carty. Like the rest of our organization's staff, Kendra is a long-time Buckeye, born and raised in small-town Ohio. We're absolutely thrilled that she is with us, and happy to share a bit with you about her with our members and friends. Kendra's new e-mail is: kencar@preservationohio.org.

Kendra was born in London, Ohio and has lived most of her life here in Ohio. Her youth was spent in Caledonia, Ohio, a small farming community in Marion County. It was there she developed her love for nostalgia, a curiosity about the past. Much of her time was spent in the one-room library or on a neighbor’s porch listening to her elders share stories.

During her high school years, she moved to Galion, Ohio. Her parents were both born and raised in Crawford County, and many of her family members still reside there. Kendra, while researching her genealogy, is finding that much of her more recent family history lies in Crawford County.

After graduating from Galion High School, Kendra lived and worked in Columbus for a few years and then moved to Chicago, Illinois. It was there she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English at Loyola University and her Masters in Library and Information Science from Rosary College (now known as Dominican University). Upon graduation, Kendra worked downtown in the library of the Chicago Community Trust, a foundation that allocates funds to communities and social service groups in the city. This experience provided her an even broader scope of knowledge about the “Windy City’s” neighborhoods and history.

After several years, she and her family moved back to Columbus, Ohio. Kendra is a self-proclaimed “Ohioan at heart” and wanted her daughter to be closer to her extended families. Kendra wishes to instill in her daughter the sense of family and community her parents both shared here in Ohio.

After working for National City Corp in their systems department, Kendra is happy to have the opportunity to work for Preservation Ohio and to become more fully acquainted with Ohio’s communities and history.

Today marks the third anniversary of MyHometownOhio, the country’s first self-authored blog on statewide preservation and revitalization. When we launched on July 21, 2006, we were very much alone - even the blog of the National Trust for Historic Preservation would not appear until a year and a half later. Today, many statewide and local preservation organizations have their own blogs, and “PreservationNation” has been around for some time. We ourselves have joined MyHometownOhio with sites on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace and Flickr - as well as our own online social medium, The Ohio Preservation Network.

In the last three years, this site has covered both the "happy" and "sad" in preservation - the enactment of the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit, the beginning of demolition discussions for the Seneca County Courthouse, several devastating fires in Ohio downtowns, and much more. All in all, we have published some 387 stories in those three years.

As Preservation Ohio looks at some exciting new programming, we suspect that there will be a good deal to report in the year to come; we’re certainly hoping that a 4-year anniversary is in the offing for July of 2010. In the meantime, continued thanks go to our readers, as well as to the thousands of Ohioans involved in promoting the past as a means to generate economic development and an outstanding quality of life in this state we all love.