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By Penny Hummel Item Writer
Recently, The joint boards of OTF and HAHS have started
the work to make the historic designation for Hamburg PA official. The
members decided that OTF had better resources to facilitate the process
that could place Hamburg in the National Register of Historic Places.
"We've talked about it for a couple of years," Kershner said.
OTF hired a consultant, Karen Arnold, of Historic York, Inc., York County,
to do the extensive work involved. Arnold's preliminary report sets the
boundaries for the historic district at Windsor and South Second streets,
Quince and Primrose Alley and Mill Creek. Of the 550 buildings in the
proposed district, an impressive 478 are considered to have historical
significance. Next on Arnold's agenda is to photograph and research all
the contributing buildings in the proposed district. The information will
then be sent to the Pennsylvania Bureau for Historic Preservation for
review, at which time Hamburg Pennsylvania will be formally nominated
as a historic district. The application then goes to a state review board,
and if approved, a public meeting will be held and the application will
be sent on to the National Park Service for final approval. "It could
be a year before we know one way or the other," Kershner said. Kershner
was quick to point out that should the town receive the historic designation,
residents will not be further restricted when it comes to home improvements.
"It won't change anything that you can do to your property,"
she said. The historic title would, however, allow property owners to
apply for tax credits if they use historical guidelines when renovating,
and would give Hamburg priority for certain types of grant funding. Kershner
added that historical districts draw weekend tourists, and homes within
the districts often see a rise in property values. Contact Pennyat plhummel@berksmontnews.com. |
