Milford Borough’s new certification opens door to historical preservation partnerships
Milford. The goal of the Certified Local Government program is historical preservation through partnerships with the state and federal governments.
| 14 Jul 2021 | 03:43
The Milford Borough Council announced that Milford Borough has been certified by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the National Park Service as a Certified Local Government.
The goal of this program is historical preservation through partnerships with the state and federal governments. Milford Borough, led by the efforts of Council member Adriane Wendell, worked through a certification process, jointly administered by the National Park Service (NPS) and the State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs), for over a year to become recognized as a Certified Local Government (CLG). There are currently only 50 CLG municipalities in Pennsylvania. Milford is now fully an active partner in the Federal Historic Preservation Program.
This CLG certification gives Milford Borough access to:
● Funding: States receive annual appropriations from the Federal Historic Preservation Fund. States are required to give at least 10% of their funding to CLGs as subgrants. These grants can fund a wide variety of projects including: historical rehabilitation work, historic design guidelines, educational programs, training, structural assessments of historical buildings, and preservation feasibility studies, to name a few.
● Technical assistance: As a CLG, communities have direct access to SHPO staff for assistance with their historical commissions, building assessments for inclusion in the national register, and general preservation assistance. State staff and NPS offer regular training for CLGs as well, an added benefit of the partnership. Each SHPO has a designated CLG Coordinator.
● Sustainability: Historic preservation has proven economic, environmental, and social benefits. Studies show that historic districts maintain higher property values, less population decline, more walkability and greater sense of community.
The borough council says Milford’s participation in this program demonstrates its “commitment to saving what is important from the past for future generations.”