Grants available for historic preservation in rural areas

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The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Landmark Society of Western New York have made $750,000 in grants available to support rural communities in the Finger Lakes and Western New York for historic building repair and rehabilitation.

The Genesee Valley Rural Revitalization Grant Program is made possible by a grant received from the Paul Bruhn Rural Revitalization Grant Program and will allow OPRHP and LSWNY to offer reimbursable sub-grants for rehab in small rural communities in eligible counties. The program will support local governments, nonprofit and commercial property owners and small businesses in their efforts to preserve the historic places that have shaped their community’s social fabric and economy, officials said.

“A community’s historic resources are tremendous assets to tap into heritage tourism opportunities, which is why we feel incredibly grateful to the National Park Service to help us offer these funds to property stewards located in the Genesee Valley,” said Erik Kulleseid, commissioner of the OPRHP. “Small businesses, non-profits, and municipalities have suffered during the pandemic. Our goal is to see these funds used as a tool to assist with local recovery.”

Historic commercial, industrial, civic, educational and community-oriented buildings in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Schuyler, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates counties. Eligible buildings must also be located within incorporated villages with a population of 4,000 or fewer, or within towns with a population of 10,000 or less. Properties must be listed or determined eligible for listing in the NYS and National Registers of Historic Places.

“We are thrilled to partner with New York State Parks to assist with offering this important funding for rural rehabilitation projects in our most treasured Genesee Valley Communities,” said Landmark Society Executive Director Wayne Goodman, “and we are grateful to the National Park Service for recognizing the value of preserving some of our most historic communities.”

Types of eligible projects include capital rehabilitation/restoration projects such as roof replacement, masonry repair, window repair or replacements, storefront restoration, weatherization, system upgrades, the creation of ADA-compliant access and more.

The GVRR grant program will be administered by OPRHP and LSWNY. Applications will be available through the Landmark Society this month. The program will include two grant rounds with application deadlines of March 31 and Sept. 30.

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