Home » Registration open for Paducah historic preservation conference

Registration open for Paducah historic preservation conference

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 12, 2014) – Online registration is now open for the fourth and final presentation in the 2014 Kentucky Preservation Series, “Preservation Tools and Strategies,” planned Oct. 23-25 in Paducah.

UnknownSessions are open to the public and geared to owners of historic buildings, members of architectural review boards and preservation commissions, local officials, and anyone interested in community preservation.

This multifaceted educational conference is presented by the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office in partnership with Preservation Kentucky Inc., the Kentucky Main Street Program and Paducah Main Street. Sessions will take place downtown at Maiden Alley Cinema and River Discovery Center.

“Paducah is proud to be hosting this conference,” Mayor Gayle Kaler said. “This training is so important, as we all want to preserve the history and architecture of Kentucky’s towns. Attendees will get to enjoy the fall beauty that Paducah offers – in addition to seeing the impressive strides the city is making in preserving and developing downtown and the LowerTown Arts District.”

Free events geared to the public will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25. Topics will include sustainable historic building preservation practices, preservation tools such as the federal Section 106 process and how consulting parties can become involved in local projects, money for historic building preservation through tax credits and other incentives, heritage tourism strategies, and an opportunity to participate in development of the State Historic Preservation Plan.

Keynote presenters will be Steve Ervin, Paducah director of planning; Charlie Doherty, community development planner/Fountain Avenue project coordinator; and Sharon Poat, executive director of the Midtown Alliance of Neighbors, who will discuss the LowerTown Arts District and Fountain Avenue neighborhood revitalization. Following will be a “Mr. Muddle” design demonstration and downtown walking tour.

The conference will kick off with a continuing education workshop, “Historic Preservation 101 for Real Estate Professionals,” from 9 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, offering four credit hours (two law).

Topics on marketing and selling historic properties will include common architectural styles, researching historic buildings, practical preservation concerns, Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits, easements, tax considerations and local ordinances. Sponsored by Preservation Kentucky, the cost is $55.

“Commission Assistance and Mentoring Program (CAMP) Training” will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, for architectural review board members, preservation commission members and staff, local officials, and Kentucky Main Street Program managers, board members and volunteers.

The workshop will feature speakers representing the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions and encompass legal issues and procedures, federal standards and local design guidelines, building public support for preservation, and an interactive, hands-on design exercise. The cost is $40.

Two fun tour options are offered from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24: a 45-minute ghost tour carriage ride for $25 per person; or a guided trolley tour to learn more about Paducah’s culture, fiber arts heritage and local history, which free to conference participants who register online, limited to the first 60 individuals who respond. A reception hosted by Preservation Kentucky and Paducah Main Street will follow from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., sponsored by Ray Black & Son and Independence Bank.

For additional information and program updates, see www.heritage.ky.gov, or click this link to register.