Worcester is filled with individual buildings and entire neighborhoods of historic treasures. Owning a property, or being charged with working on one, can be a daunting challenge as you try to navigate the various rules and regulations.
In February we were pleased to have Sue Arena, the Preservation Planner for the City of Worcester and the liaison to the Worcester Historical Commission. Also, Deb Packard, the Executive Director of Preservation Worcester, which is a grassroots advocacy group dedicated to historic preservation and excellence in new design. Both talked about their experiences in dealing with protected properties and neighborhoods, and the rules for working on them. We learned about who to contact to obtain approvals to perform work, they discussed tax credits, green incentives and Code concessions. They talked about specific case studies of successful projects as well as failures.
The Program, which was AIA approved for 1 HSW Credit helped us understand the laws and regulations that apply to working on historical structures, the advantages a Historical classification offers through the Accessibility and Energy Code, to identify what constitutes a regulated property and who has jurisdiction over them, and the inappropriate and appropriate methods of working on these structures.
The event was well received and attended with several new guests. If you’d like to enjoy an evening with likeminded people in the construction industry, please look for future programs in our Newsletter.