PRESERVATION ALERT

from the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation

May 23, 2008
www.gvshp.org

GVSHP and a coalition of over 40 preservation groups will be holding its Second Annual Lobby Day on Wednesday, May 28, to advocate for a RESTORATION of $300,000 into the Landmarks budget. These funds will allow the LPC to maintain its survey staff and effectively protect New York’s valuable historic buildings and neighborhoods.  PLEASE JOIN US, AND PLEASE HELP! 

In 2006, the City Council, led by Council Members Jessica Lappin, Tony Avella and Diana Reyna, allocated $250,000 in additional funds to the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s budget, allowing the agency to hire five new full-time staff researchers to aid in their designation efforts. Last year that amount was increased to $300,000, which allowed the LPC to designate more than 1,000 buildings in 2007, a 2,000% increase in buildings since FY2005.

Still, despite the amount of much-needed work that these grants have allowed, the Mayor has declined to baseline this amount and it has not been included in the Commission’s FY09 budget.

Even with this added $300,000, the LPC’s budget amounts to less than one one-hundredth of one percent of the City’s expenditures. But this small amount has allowed the LPC to move forward with much-needed designations over the past two years, including the NoHo Extension and the proposed South Village Historic District, as well as several new individual landmarks designations including Webster Hall in the East Village and the Keller Hotel in the West Village. Without the added staff, there is no way that the LPC can maintain its preservation efforts at its current level. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

To join GVSHP or support our preservation efforts, go to www.gvshp.org/membership.htm 

PRESERVATION ALERT

from the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation

June 15, 2007
www.gvshp.org

City Funding for Landmarks Preservation

Funding for Landmarks Preservation in City Budget:  GVSHP and a citywide coalition of groups fought to increase the Landmarks Preservation Commission's (LPC) budget by $1 million this year.  While an infinitesimally small percentage of the City's budget in a year of massive surpluses, this increase would have restored the LPC's budget to its 1991 levels and allowed the agency to better address the increasing demands by neighborhoods for consideration of new landmark designations and by owners for permits for necessary work on their landmarked properties.  Disappointingly, the Mayor did not include any increase in his budget for the LPC, and eliminated the $250,000 increase advocates had worked with the City Council to add to the LPC's budget last year. This year, City Council Landmarks Subcommittee Chair Jessica Lappin led the charge to seek our proposed $1 million increase, but ultimately the Council only agreed to restore the $250,000 addition from last year, and add an additional $50,000.  While an improvement, this shows that many of our leaders in city government still needs to be educated about the importance of historic preservation.

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PRESERVATION ALERT

from the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation

May 8, 2007
www.gvshp.org


 GVSHP URGES THE CITY TO INCREASE THE LPC'S BUDGET BY $1 MILLION

Please join GVSHP on Wednesday, May 9, 2007, at 12:30 pm for a press conference on the steps of City Hall urging the City to increase the Landmarks Preservation Commission's budget by $1 million. 

GVSHP has been working with our colleague preservation groups across the city to seek an increase of $1 million in funds for the Landmarks Preservation Commission budget.  Shockingly, while the LPC's workload has dramatically increased over the last 15 years, its budget  is less than it was 15 years ago in constant dollars.  An increase in the LPC’s budget by $1 million is a miniscule amount when considering the City’s overall budget, but one which would make a tremendous difference not only to this agency but to the City as a whole, and  would restore the budget to its 1991 levels.   

Last year, the City did increase the LPC's budget by $250,000.  With this larger budget , the LPC was able to increase its activities in surveying undesignated areas of the city and designating more historic districts and individual landmarks.  The extra funding truly made a noticeable difference in the work of the LPC, and GVSHP thanks the Village's council members (Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Council Member Alan Gerson, and Council Member Rosie Mendez) for their support of last year's increase.  However, this modest increase of $250,000 is not guaranteed for renewal this year, and an increase of $1 million is needed in order to ensure that the LPC has the funded it requires to fully protect our neighborhoods. 

Efforts to preserve our neighborhoods cannot be nearly as effective without a well-funded and well-staffed LPC.  We need your help to urge the City to secure this additional funding for the LPC. 

HOW TO HELP:

With your help, we can get more funding for the LPC and provide more effective protection of our historic neighborhoods.

 

To join GVSHP or support our preservation efforts, CLICK HERE.