St. Mary's College of Maryland Preservation Master Plan

St. Mary’s College of MarylandPreservation Master PlanHistoric St. Mary’s City February 2008MANAGEMENT ANDMAINTENANCEThe primary goal and objective of the Campus HeritageGrant Program, from which this plan was made possible, isto ensure that preservation and stewardship are integratedinto long-term decision-making processes and to ensurethat consideration is given to preservation goals andobjectives during the course of other planning and designprocesses. The College, City, and Church all wish to protectand enhance the significant historic resources which remainwithin the study area and understand that protection beginswith sound policies and procedures which are sensitive tothe historic context of the study area. The PreservationMaster Plan is the first resource each entity has for definingan appropriate process for preservation within the studyarea and identifying specific areas which require additionalattention and consideration.The Preservation Master Plan process cannot be consideredtruly successful until the recommendations and treatmentguidelines are put into regular practice. This requires thecommitment of the College, City, and Church to implementthe guidelines and to continue collaborating and workingtogether towards a common defined goal.Acceptance of the plan by each entity will establish a sharedpreservation philosophy that can then be put into action.The preservation philosophy will help to:• acknowledge the importance of the sharedhistories of each entity and how the histories areinter-woven;• foster visitor and resident education about theinter-woven histories associated with the siteby establishing an interpretive program andeducation recommendations;• promote responsible and effective stewardshipof landscape and buildings resources;• increase awareness of the impacts of newconstruction and development on the existinghistoric fabric of the study area; and• provide a framework for making future decisionsthat have the potential to impact historic sitesand archeological resources.Acceptance of the plan by the College, City, and Church as aguide for current and future decision-making is the first andmost important step in furthering the goals of preservation,cooperation, and collaboration.Page 4-7