Historic preservation consultants will be in Paris the week of Aug 10, to photograph and capture data about buildings in the downtown commercial historic district.
Steph McDougal and Kelly Little, from Houston-based McDoux Preservation, will also make a presentation to the Main Street Advisory Board and the Historic Preservation Commission. The commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, Aug 12, at 4:00 p.m. at City Council Chambers and is open to the public.
The McDoux consultants are updating the City’s historic resources survey for the downtown historic district. As a member of the National Park Service’s Certified Local Government (CLG) program, the City of Paris is eligible for grants and other benefits from the Texas Historical Commission.
“For example, both the 2013 repairs to Paris’ City Hall and the 2009 design standards for historic districts were paid for, in part, with CLG grant funds. To stay in the CLG program, cities agree to update their survey data regularly,” said Cheri Bedford, the City Main Street coordinator, and Historic Preservation officer.
Bedford said that the project is the first step towards moving all of Paris’ historic district information into the City’s Geographic Information System (GIS).
Legacy survey data from 1980, 1985, 2005, and 2017 included photo negatives, paper copies of survey forms, an Excel spreadsheet, and digital photographs. The survey data will eventually be digitized and moved into the GIS platform so that each building’s information, along with the most recent photograph, can be easily accessed by City staff and the public.
Properties in the National Register Commercial Historic District can be eligible for State, and Federal Tax Credits, among other incentives. This survey will contain valuable information for those who are interested in pursuing Tax Credits.
Once information is in GIS, Bedford said, the City will be able to keep it up-to-date and only need to take new photographs every 10-years, saving money down the road.
The City’s most recent historic resources survey was completed in 2005.
If you want more information on this matter, you can contact Cheri Bedford at 903-784-9293 or cbedford@paristexas.gov.