Preservation Resource Center

10 APRIL 2007 PRESERVATION IN PRINT
Historic Building Recovery Grant Program
The Project Officer –
Your New Best Friend
by Patricia L. Duncan
T
he $12.5 million dollars in grant
money – lobbied for by Lt.
Governor Mitch Landrieu – has
been awarded in a record 45 days from
the deadline for applications. “We wanted
to get these grants in the hands of
homeowners as quickly as possible,” Lt.
Governor Landrieu said. “We are determined
to rebuild our historic neighborhoods
across southern Louisiana.”
Now that recipients of Historic
Building Recovery Grants are moving
forward with the challenging job of
repairing their Katrina or Rita-damaged
homes and businesses, we want to assure
recipients that you won’t face the job
EXTERIOR DESIGNS, INC.
EST. 1973
alone. If you are unfamiliar with construction
terms and practices, don’t
despair: each grant recipient will have a
mentor to assist and guide him or her
through the process.
The grant program’s project officers
serve as the liaison between grantees and
the Division of Historic Preservation.
Each is an architectural historian with a
construction or historic preservation background.
Two are based in New Orleans
and the third is headquartered in Baton
Rouge, but travels extensively to the
Crescent City and other parts of South
Louisiana where grant projects are located.
A fourth project officer is yet to be hired.
Although each grantee is assigned to
one officer for the duration of the project,
each officer is responsible for overseeing
multiple grants. The project officer’s
first task is to evaluate a property’s
damage and help the grantee to prioritize
the repairs. Then the project officer
assists the grantee in writing an appropriate
scope of work. The scope is a document
detailing the work to be done as
well as how and when it will be completed.
Once the grantee and state authorities
have signed the scope, the officer
requests that the first payment be made
(60% of the grant award). If changes in
the scope of work are needed, the officer
assists in having the changes approved.
Once the project officer is satisfied
adequate progress has been made, he or
she requests that the next installment of
grant funds be paid (an additional 20%).
If for some reason work does not start in a
timely manner, the officer investigates the
cause and attempts to help the grantee get
the project moving. Should this attempt
fail, the project officer refers the problem
to higher authority for resolution.
As work proceeds, the officer guides
and monitors construction. When questions
arise, he or she consults with the
grantee, contractors and sub-contractors
and, if necessary, helps them to interpret
and apply the Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards for Rehabilitation. Grantees are
required to follow these guidelines,
which specify best historic preservation
practices. He or she also documents all
grant activities and progress. At the end
of each project, the officer certifies its
completion, then requests the final grant
payment of 20%.
The project officers are Philip
Gilmore, Jessica Landry and Tracy
Nelson. Each is introduced elsewhere on
this page. In addition to their regular
duties, the three also will monitor projects
in the Carrollton, Garden District,
Irish Channel, Lower Garden District,
Upper and Lower Central Business
Districts and Uptown neighborhoods, as
well as part of Esplanade Ridge, until an
additional project officer is hired.
BEVERLY KATZ, APLD
Exterior Designs, Inc., is a landscape
planning and contracting company, that
specializes in “problem solving for
yards.” Design, landscaping, paving
masonry for courtyard and pool designs
are the companies specialties.
Beverly Katz
Landscape Designer
call 866-0276 for a consultation
WWW.EXTERIOR DESIGNSBEV.COM
Jessica Landry
Jessica Landry is working on a master’s
degree in preservation at
Tulane University. She monitors
grants in South Lakeview, Parkview,
Broadmoor, Edgewood Park,
Gentilly Terrace, and Esplanade
Ridge. She also covers the Old
Arabi and Friscoville historic districts
in St. Bernard Parish. Landry
earned a degree in Civil
Engineering and has construction
management experience that will be
valuable to the grant program. She
calls her role as project officer a
once in a lifetime opportunity to aid
hurricane victims and appreciates
their enthusiasm and willingness to
appropriately restore their homes.
Philip Gilmore
By participating in grant clinics
designed to help New Orleans residents
understand and complete the
detailed grant application form,
Gilmore served the grant program
as a volunteer before joining the
staff. He has also conducted architectural
re-surveys of National
Register historic districts (NRHD) in
the Parkview and Faubourg Marigny
neighborhoods and has assisted
Tarps New Orleans (TNO) with public
outreach and event assistance
during the October 2006
International Craftsman’s Conference
in the city. Gilmore coordinates
grants in the Bywater, Faubourg
Marigny, New Marigny, Mid City,
and Central City neighborhoods.
Tracy Nelson
Interested in sustainable solutions for
the built environment, Tracy Nelson
brings experience in the Holy Cross
area to the grant program.
Immediately after Katrina, she served
as a first responder in Bay St. Louis.
She assisted with medical evacuations,
helped stranded residents
reach safety, and partnered with
many non-profits to establish a recovery
center. In New Orleans, Nelson
worked for Architecture for Humanity,
connecting architects with disaster
victims who need help rebuilding
their homes, and with Neighborhood
Empowerment Network Association.
Nelson also worked with a New
Orleans cultural management and
research firm to establish a historic
GIS digital database for the
Broadmoor area. She serves as project
officer for the Holy Cross, Vieux
Carre, and Algiers Point historic districts.
Like Gilmore, she will also
work in Esplanade Ridge.
www.prcno.org