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Authorizing the acceptance of $24,999 in United States Department of the Interior Certified Local Government Grant funds from the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office to complete the Hill National and State Registers - Context Development and Updates, and amending the 2018 budget.
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WHEREAS, the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, (NHPA) established a strong federal policy favoring the preservation of properties and sites which have been significant in American history for the public's benefit; and
WHEREAS, the State of Minnesota, in Minn. Stat. 471.193, Subd. 1, has declared that it is the policy of the state to enable local units of government to engage in a comprehensive program of historic preservation and to promote the use and conservation of historical, architectural, archeological, engineering, and cultural heritage sites in the State for the education, inspiration, pleasure, and enrichment of the citizens of the State through the creation of local heritage preservation commissions; and
WHEREAS, Minn. Stat. 471.193, Subd. 3, further declares that the powers of heritage preservation commissions may be for the survey and designation of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are of historical, architectural, archaeological, engineering, or cultural significance; and
WHEREAS, the City, in Leg. Code 73.01, has declared that it is the policy of the City that the preservation, protection, perpetuation, and use of areas, places, buildings, structures, and other objects having a special historical, community, or aesthetic interest or value, is a public necessity and in the interest of the health, prosperity, safety and welfare of the people, including safe-guarding the heritage of the city by preserving sites and structures which reflect elements of the city's cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history, and authorizes the Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) to conduct a continuing survey of all areas, places, buildings, structures, or similar objects in the city which the HPC, on the basis of information available or presented to it has reason to believe are or will be eligible for designation as heritage preservation sites; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul Comprehensive Plan identifies seven strategies to guide historic preservation efforts and the policies to implement them, and Strategy HP 3.1 states the City should implement an ongoing survey program to identify and evaluate all types of historic resources in Saint Paul and Strategy HP 3.7 states the City should systematically and comprehensive identify historic resources, giving highest priority to areas facing development pressure; and
WHEREAS, a historic context, an organizational framework that groups information about related historic properties based on a theme, geographical area, and period of time, is required for identifying historic properties. The last citywide context studies in 2001 only looked at properties that had previously been inventoried. The new and updated contexts are needed in the Hill Districts in order for them to be comprehensively surveyed and resurveyed; and
WHEREAS, the last time this neighborhood was comprehensively surveyed was in 1983, and while useful at the time, the survey information is now outdated and not adequate for use as part of an effective historic preservation planning strategy or for making informed land use decisions. It is assumed there are sites that were not evaluated in 1983 that would now be identified as historic resources in the neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office has awarded a $24,999 CLG grant to the City of Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor, pursuant to Section 10.07.1 of the Charter of the City of Saint Paul, does hereby certify that $24,999 in funds are available for appropriation in excess of those estimated in the 2018 budget and recommends the changes to the 2018 budget identified on Attachment A; and
WHEREAS, the City will indemnify, save and hold the State, its agents, and employees harmless from any claims or causes of action, including attorney’s fees incurred by the State, arising from the performance of this grant contract by the City or the City’s agents or employees only to the maximum limits of its municipal tort liability limits set forth in Minnesota Statute 466.01 et seq. and any indemnifications made by the City under this Agreement are accordingly governed and limited. This indemnification shall not be construed as a waiver of the municipal tort liability limits set forth in Minnesota Statute 466.01 et seq. This clause will not be construed to bar any legal remedies the City may have for the State's failure to fulfill its obligations under this grant contract; now
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Saint Paul accepts the CLG grant, approves the changes identified on Attachment A to the 2018 budget and authorizes PED to enter into a grant agreement with the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and the Council of the City of Saint Paul wish to recognize the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office for its ongoing preservation work, and thank them for their generous assistance.