Last call! On September 2, the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PaSHPO) began accepting its second and final round of Part 1 submissions for its Hurricane Sandy Disaster Recovery Grant Program for Historic Properties. Submissions will be accepted through October 10.
Owners of historic properties that sustained damage as a result of the October 2012 storm are invited to participate in this pre-application process to determine their property’s eligibility for funds to reimburse the costs of storm damage-related repairs. If determined eligible for the program, property owners will then be invited to participate in the PaSHPO’s formal application process for an award. Please see the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Recovery Grant Program for Historic Properties webpage for a detailed breakdown of program requirements and Part 1 submission requirements.
Awards are available for historic properties in the 18 Pennsylvania counties that received federal disaster declarations in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. These counties include: Bedford, Bucks, Cameron, Dauphin, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Somerset, Sullivan, and Wyoming.
The National Park Service recently awarded Pennsylvania $1.5 million to help stabilize and/or repair historic properties damaged by the storm and to undertake planning hazard planning initiatives in these counties to better protect and preserve the state’s historic resources in the event of future disasters.
The PaSHPO accepted its first round of Part 1 submissions for the Sandy repair program in late spring/early summer 2014; however received surprisingly few reports of damage in the 18 counties and received less than a handful of Part 1 submissions. To date, damage to historic properties reported in these counties was the largely the result of the hurricane’s high winds. Pennsylvania was generally not impacted by floodwaters unlinke in the neighboring states of New York and New Jersey during Hurricane Sandy.
The slate roof and chimneys of the Howard Riegel Residence, an historic resource contributing to the Easton Historic District (Easton, PA), sustained damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy’s high-force winds in October 2012. Repairs are nearly complete; the chimneys have since been restored and the slate roof has been stabilized.
To be determined eligible for grant assistance under the PaSHPO’s Hurricane Sandy repair program, properties must meet certain criteria. For example, the property must either be listed in, or be eligible for listing in, the National Register of Historic Places. Historic properties that contribute to a listed historic district will be considered eligible for the program. Additionally, grant assistance may not be used to fund damage or deterioration that existed prior to Hurricane Sandy; only documentable storm-related damage is eligible for reimbursement. No match is required by the property owner in order to receive an award; however, owners will only be reimbursed for repair expenses that were not covered by the owner’s property or flood insurance. Owners may apply for any difference between the actual cost of the completed work and the insurance settlement.
Property owners who may be interested in applying for an award under this program or individuals who may be aware of historic properties that were damaged (in any of the state’s 18 counties listed above) during Hurricane Sandy are encouraged to notify Jeremy Young, Project Manager for Hurricane Sandy Recovery at the PaSHPO. Jeremy may be reached via telephone at (717) 787-0771 or via email at jereyoung@pa.gov.
