News : Meeting on Historical Neighborhoods set for Nov. 4

Phil Thomason of Thomason & Associates of Nashville, TN will be holding a public meeting on Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Vinton City Hall, 110 West 3rd Street. At the meeting, Mr. Thomason will present information on the research that his company has gathered in order to complete a historical neighborhood survey and nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. He will also answer any questions that individuals may have concerning this work.

The area that Mr. Thomason is surveying for the historical neighborhood is bordered by 5th Street and 14th Street on the north and south sides, and by 2nd Avenue and E Avenue on the east and west sides. Anyone owning property within this area is highly encouraged to come to the meeting on November 4.

The work that Mr. Thomason is doing is related to an agreement between the City of Vinton and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in relation to the 2008 flood. Some of the houses that were demolished with FEMA assistance during the flood were determined to have historical value. Because of this, FEMA is required under federal law to make up for the historical loss in value. FEMA and the City agreed that the historical neighborhood survey and nomination work would be part of that repayment.

Once the survey work is completed, Thomason & Associates will further define the location and prepare a nomination for the historic neighborhood. The nomination will be presented by Mr. Thomason to the State Nomination Review Committee (SNRC) which will determine whether the nomination should be forwarded to the national review committee.

If the nomination for the historical neighborhood is approved on the national level, the neighborhood will be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Property owners within the historic neighborhood can then apply for tax credits on the state and federal levels to assist in making repairs or improvements to their property under certain guidelines.

If a property is located within a historical neighborhood, it does not limit what a property owner can do with their property. The requirements only come into play if the property owner wishes to receive the tax credits.

For more details concerning the meeting, please call Andy Lent, Vinton City Coordinator, at 472-4707.