Grant money keeps pouring in to the City of Kingston, and the latest windfall was a recently announced $50,000 state grant aimed at protecting the city’s historic fabric.
The award comes through the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and will fund Kingston’s first Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan alongside city-wide Historic Design Guidelines. The money is part of the federal Certified Local Government program, which this year is sending a combined $180,000 to six New York local governments for preservation work.
“Our rich cultural and architectural history spans across several neighborhoods with unique assets and distinct personalities,” mayor Steve Noble said, suggesting that a single framework can help “city planners, commissioners, policy makers, residents, and property owners.” The city expects to hire a nationally accredited historic-preservation consultant to lead the effort, including what Noble described as “robust public engagement” and coordination with local officials and the State Preservation Office.
City officials said a Project Advisory Committee will be created to work with city staff, state staff, and the consultant as the plan and guidelines take shape. Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission chair Mark Grunblatt called the documents “immensely helpful tools” for efforts to “preserve, rehabilitate, and commemorate our shared history, architecture, and cultural resources.”
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