News…

CHARLESTON, WV — Applications are now available for historic preservation Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief grants through the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Submissions must be postmarked by July 15, 2014.

Approximately $173,000 will be available for these grant awards. This supplemental funding was awarded to the SHPO from the National Park Service to provide technical assistance and emergency repairs to historic and archaeological resources in counties that were declared emergencies and affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Those counties are Barbour, Boone, Braxton, Clay, Fayette, Kanawha, Lewis, Nicholas, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Preston, Raleigh, Randolph, Taylor, Tucker, Upshur, Webster and Wyoming.

Eligible projects include the restoration, rehabilitation, or archaeological development of historic sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places that were adversely affected by the hurricane. Properties owned by church organizations or used exclusively for religious purposes, and governmental properties that are not accessible to the public are not eligible for funding. All applications must include documentation of damage related to the hurricane.

A complete application package, including allowable activities, criteria for evaluation and grant guidelines is available by calling the SHPO grants staff at (304) 558-0240 or visiting http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/GrantManual/disastergrant/Disastergrant.html.

For more information on the grant programs, contact Pamela Brooks, grants coordinator, at (304) 558-0240 or pam.a.brooks@wv.gov.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

– 30 –