Public Meeting: National Historic Preservation Act, Oklahoma History Center

The Oklahoma Historical Society’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) will hold a public meeting at 10:30 am on Friday, September 15, 2017, in the Oklahoma History Center classroom. SHPO staff will provide information about the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and how it supports the statewide preservation program. Also, during the meeting, the SHPO will receive public input for development of the Fiscal Year 2018 Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) application to the US Department of the Interior. Participation in the meeting is one important way to help the SHPO advance Oklahoma’s preservation goals.

Under the NHPA, the SHPO administers the federal historic preservation program in Oklahoma. The purpose of the program is to encourage preservation of the state’s archaeological and historic resources for everyone’s benefit. The SHPO conducts surveys to identify archaeological and historic resources; nominates eligible properties to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP); comments on the effects of federal undertakings on archaeological and historic resources; develops the statewide preservation plan; administers the Certified Local Governments (CLG) Program; provides comments to the National Park Service about rehabilitation projects proposed for federal tax credits; and provides public outreach programs and technical assistance to preservation professionals, government agencies, and interested citizens. The SHPO expects to receive approximately $830,000 from the HPF for these programs and its operations. Ten percent of the HPF award is reserved for pass-through grants to CLGs.

“Tomorrow’s Legacy: Oklahoma’s Statewide Preservation Plan (January 2015–December 2019)” (available from the SHPO or at www.okhistory.org/shpo/stateplan.htm) sets forth the statewide preservation community’s goals and objectives. The SHPO’s priorities for addressing the State Plan’s goals are continuation of the archaeological and historic/architectural resources survey program, with special emphasis on resources associated with underrepresented peoples and extension of survey coverage to previously unstudied areas; preparation of NRHP nominations; and continuation of public outreach and technical assistance programs. Your project ideas and recommended priorities for the SHPO’s FY 2018 activities will help strengthen preservation efforts in Oklahoma.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, your written comments and suggestions are welcome. You may complete the SHPO’s “Project Suggestion Form” and return it by 5 pm on Friday, September 15, 2017. Call the SHPO at 405-521-6249 or email Jesse Matthews at jmatthews@okhistory.org to request the form or obtain it at www.okhistory.org/shpo/spevents.htm.