TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Anthea Gianniotes, Development Services Director
THROUGH: Terrence R. Moore, ICMA-CM
DATE: May 17, 2022
Title
APPROVAL TO SUBMIT APPLICATION FOR STATE OF FLORIDA DIVISION OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES SMALL MATCHING GRANT (SMG) CYCLE.
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Motion to approve application for State of Florida Division of Historical Resources Small Matching Grant (SMG) Cycle.
Body
Background:
The State of Florida Division of Historical Resources (State) historic preservation grant application cycle is open and will close on June 1st, 2022. The SMG program is described as follows:
• $50,000 maximum per grant request, with an award potential of two grants per cycle.
• The City of Delray Beach is a Certified Local Government (CLG) and a benefit of being a CLG is that the city does not have the requirement to provide matching funding for the SMG program.
• The purpose of the SMG program is to provide funding to assist local, regional, and state-wide efforts to preserve significant historic and archaeological resources, and to promote knowledge and appreciation of the history of Florida. The program does not fund operational support for historic preservation organizations.
• Project types include Historic Survey; Planning; Nominations to the National Register of Historic Places; Heritage Education; and state Historical Markers.
The Historic Preservation Division of the Development Services Department previously was awarded a Small Matching Grant for a Delray Beach Municipal Cemetery Historic Resource Survey. However, Staff was not able to secure a consultant to complete the survey within the limited time frame. The resource survey grant will be returned for the 2021-2022 grant cycle. Staff has been working to identify resources for this specialized service and is seeking approval to request funding in next (2023-2024) grant cycle.
The total request in the 2023-2024 SMG is $50k. As there is no match requirement, no commitment of funding is required by the City to complete the project. If the grant is awarded, the project would have a 1-year timeline for completion with funding becoming available in July of 2023. The City Commission would need to approve and sign a funding agreement in the summer of 2023. The State historic preservation grant applications are reviewed annually and ranked in a public meeting by Grant Review Panels appointed by the Secretary of State. Funding is contingent on appropriations from the Florida Legislature and the funding commitments change from year to year.
The proposed Small Matching Grant (SMG) request is as follows:
1. DELRAY BEACH MUNICIPAL CEMETERY HISTORIC RESOURCE SURVEY
This grant request would facilitate a Historic Resource Survey of the Delray Beach Memorial Gardens Municipal Cemetery (formerly known as the Pine Ridge Cemetery), which is located on 902 SW 10th Street. The cemetery was developed in early 1900 and is the final resting place of members of many Delray Beach pioneer families, such as the Swinton and Sundy families. The project will:
• Document the boundary of the historic cemetery and create a GIS map of the cemetery & plots;
• Record grave markers and monuments (dates, inscriptions, condition, etc.), and natural features, such as trees, landscaping, fencing, etc. through GPS, photographs, survey tools, etc.; and,
• Establish a written history and background for the cemetery.
Recordation of the historic of the cemetery could aid the city in future grant funding related to historic preservation efforts for site improvements and historic markers. Documentation from the historic resource survey of the cemetery would be included in future GIS mapping data sets. This information would be made available to the public via the city’s website and historic GIS system.
The proposed grant project meets policies in the Always Delray Comprehensive Plan Historic Preservation Element, which have an estimated timeline for completion in 2022. The project will aid in fulfilling a policy outlined with a completion date of 2025.
Policy HPE 1.2.4: Create and regularly update a digital database of Florida Master Site File forms for properties and historic districts listed on the Local and/or National Registers of Historic Places. [Complete by 2022].
Policy HPE 1.5.6: Survey the City cemetery for potential designation to the Local Register of Historic Places. [Complete by 2022]
City Attorney Review:
Approved to form and legal sufficiency.
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
No matching funds are required.
Timing of Request:
The State of Florida Division of Historical Resources (State) historic preservation grant application cycle is open and will close on June 1, 2022.