Bookmarking History Cd'A mulls government program to better preserve its past

The city of Coeur d’Alene loves to embrace its past.

From the quaint, four-classroom Roosevelt School built in 1905 at First Street and Wallace Avenue, to the Renaissance Revival-era Masonic Temple built four years later at Fifth and Sherman, to the stately Kootenai County Courthouse erected in 1925. The city abounds with nationally recognized historical structures.

Given its well-documented passion for the past, then, it’s ironic that Coeur d’Alene is the only densely populated municipality in Idaho which has not adopted a Certified Local Government Program (CLG).

That may soon change.

The CLG program is a partnership between the National Park Service and State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) that permits local governments to participate directly in national historic preservation programs and makes them eligible for federal grants.

It’s unclear why the city has not opted into the CLG program in the past, but city leaders are currently working with SHPO officials to form the partnership.

“From our perspective, there’s no downside to joining the CLG so we want to gently encourage (Coeur d’Alene) to participate,” said SHPO Director Tricia Canaday.

Coeur d’Alene City Council member Kiki Miller is serving as a liaison between the city and SHPO as discussions to join the CLG program move forward.

“We’re in an exploratory stage now,” Miller said. City administrator Troy Tymesen and community planning director Hilary Anderson have also been involved in the talks.

While Miller said it is too early to predict whether the city would participate in the CLG program, she sees clear benefits.

“It would make grant money available to allow Coeur d’Alene to better document its historical buildings,” Miller said. “There have been buildings that have been destroyed that could have been marked as historical structures. When that happens, the community loses a piece of its history.”

Miller said city staff is currently analyzing the information and is expected to report in the fall to the full City Council, who will then make the final decision on whether to enter into a CLG program.

SHPO outreach historian Dan Everhart said 37 cities and counties in Idaho participate in the CLG program.

“Coeur d’Alene is probably the last city of its size that does not participate in the program,” he said. “Most large cities and counties see the benefits.”

The CLG is a partnership between the National Parks Service and SHPO. Each year, the Parks Service allocates about $750,000 to the Idaho Historical Society and about 10 percent of that—around $77,000 last year—is available in grants to CLG participants.

CLG grants are competitively bid and typically range from $5,000 to $20,000 for projects including surveys to identify historic properties, preparing nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, preservation workshops and preparing plans for historic rehabilitation projects, Everhart said.

“We emphasized that this funding would allow the City of Coeur d’Alene to prioritize its own interests and needs as it relates to preserving historical sites,” he said.

If Coeur d’Alene were to participate in the CLG program, a volunteer board would be established to assist with analyzing potential projects and work with SHPO to secure possible grants.

During meetings last spring, Everhart said city officials were receptive to the idea of partnering in a CLG program.

“I was very pleased with the level of interest and complexity of questions,” he said.

Local historian Robert Singletary, who also serves as chairman of the Kootenai County Historic Preservation Commission, said preserving history is not only about remembering the past, it can be a great economic development tool.

“When you retain historical character of a town it adds to the beauty, character and overall ambiance and draws tourists,” Singletary said. “Look at the realm of people visiting … It isn’t the modern buildings that appeal to them, it’s the old ones.

“If we don’t have a program to help preserve our buildings and our history then we miss out on a valuable economic opportunity.”