Memorandum

 

TO:                  Potential Deadwood Fund Applicants

FROM:            Jay D. Vogt, State Historic Preservation Officer

RE:                  Deadwood Fund packet

 

Click here to link to an application, instructions, and criteria packet for the South Dakota State Historical Society’s Deadwood Fund program.  There are two opportunities to apply for funding annually.  The first deadline is February 1 and the second is October 1.  Projects may not start until after an award is granted.  Under this historic preservation program, the grants ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 will be awarded for projects that retain, restore, or rehabilitate historic buildings, structures, and archaeological sites in South Dakota for residential, commercial, or public purposes. 

 

The Deadwood Fund program is funded by a portion of the gambling revenue generated in Deadwood, SD.  By sharing the Deadwood historic preservation monies, the Deadwood Fund program enables applicants from throughout the state to extend their financial resources to preserve important pieces of South Dakota history. 

 

All projects must meet The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.  The standards for restoration and rehabilitation are summarized in the enclosed packet.  These standards are neither technical nor prescriptive; instead they promote responsible preservation practices that help protect our nation’s irreplaceable cultural resources. 

 

The staff of the State Historic Preservation Office, a program of the South Dakota State Historical Society, is ready to assist applicants interpret the criteria and complete the application.  To be considered, applications must be postmarked no later than February 1 or October 1 annually.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact our office.

 

Thank you for your interest in historic preservation and the Deadwood Fund program.

 

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The South Dakota State Historical Society is an office within the Department of Tourism and State Development.  The mission of the Society is to promote, nurture and sustain the historical and cultural heritage of South Dakota by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting evidence of the state’s irreplaceable past and making it available for the life-long education, enrichment of present and future generations.

 

The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is a unit of the Society which manages the National Register of Historic Places program of the National Park Service in South Dakota.  The program relates historic preservation to economic, social and educational state objectives; it surveys, inventories and registers historic properties; and it promotes public awareness and provides technical assistance on their preservation.

 

The Deadwood Fund is created out of gaming proceeds from the City of Deadwood.  The purpose of the fund is to make loans and grants to purchase, restore, or develop historic South Dakota properties for residential, commercial, or public purposes.

 

Individuals, organizations, and public agencies sponsoring projects to retain, restore or rehabilitate historic buildings, structures or sites by returning them to a state of utility, through repair or alteration, which makes possible an efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions and features of the properties which are significant to their historic, architectural, and cultural values and meeting the grant criteria are eligible to apply for a Deadwood Fund grant.

 

In all instances, the burden of proving that funds will support work in historic preservation lies with the applicant.  Professional guidance by someone skilled in the retention, rehabilitation, and restoration of historic properties may be needed to successfully plan, implement, and complete a project.  Evaluation criteria will be used as guidelines to rank each project.  A project meeting all eligibility criteria does not guarantee that it will receive a grant award.

 

A Deadwood Fund grant may be considered taxable income.  In June 1997, the IRS began examinations of preservation grants in Colorado, and it claims that those grants are taxable income.

 

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Grants will be for projects beginning approximately May 1 (following the February deadline) or January 1 (following the October deadline).  Projects may not start until after notification of the grant award is received. 

 

Grants will generally be awarded in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $25,000.

 

Where determined that an application merits support only in part or at a reduced level, the offer will be less than the amount requested.  Larger grant awards may be considered in extreme circumstances.

 

Generally, the grant amount requires a dollar-for-dollar match from nonfederal and non-state sources.  The availability of matching funds must be provided with the application.  Nonprofit organizations according to state law may receive grants without match; however, match is highly encouraged.

   

Payment of the grant award will be made on a reimbursement basis upon receipt of a paid invoice at the completion of the work. The matching funds must be demonstrated at the time of payments.  The State Historical Preservation Office staff reserves the right to inspect completed work before payment.

 

Projects should demonstrate substantial public historic preservation benefits.  The fund will not pay for administrative or operating costs.  The following categorical exclusions will not generally be funded with Deadwood Funds: security systems, general decorative arts and furnishings, general building or site maintenance, new construction or non-historic site improvements, and work performed only to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act and building codes.

 

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1. The property must be listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

2. The project must meet The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties: Rehabilitation (36 CFR 67), see page g of the application packet.

 

3. The applicant must demonstrate that funds are available to match the grant, and the property will have on-going use at the completion of the project for residential, commercial, or public purposes.

 

4.  The applicant must provide assurances of the ability to maintain the property well into the future.

 

5.  The applicant must sign an eight-year restrictive covenant running with the property, which states that the property shall be maintained in a manner that preserves the property’s historic integrity.  All work performed on the property within the covenant period must meet The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties: Rehabilitation, see page g of the application packet.

 

6.  A sign provided by the South Dakota State Historical Society must be posted at the project site.  The sign will state that the project has been funded in part by the State Historical Society through the Deadwood Fund and must remain posted for the duration of the project.  All publicity material should include similar recognition.

 

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The Deadwood Fund grant program provides an opportunity to leverage financial resources for the acquisition, retention, restoration or rehabilitation of historic buildings, structures and sites.  Awards in this program are made only when there is evident need for additional funds to complete a critical project and to effect significant improvement or prevent losses of historic properties.  The applicant must demonstrate a financial investment in the project, the ability to meet the financial obligation, and a commitment to its completion.

 

Projects will be ranked for priority based on the following criteria:

 

1.  The property is significant to South Dakota history and the project substantially benefits historic preservation and serves as a major public demonstration of historic preservation.

 

2.  The historic building, structure or site is of public prominence or importance and endangered or threatened.

 

3.  The entire project meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties: Rehabilitation, see page g of the application packet.

 

4.  The property is associated with minority or ethnic groups, particularly American Indians.

 

5.  The property is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

6.  The project has a preservation plan in place and documented community support. 

 

7.  The property receives appropriate on-going maintenance, or its present state of disrepair is not the result of neglect by the current owner.

 

8.  The applicant documents more than the required dollar-for-dollar match; nonprofit organizations providing   match.

 

9.  The application is clear, concise, complete, and includes a detailed budget.

 

10.  A historic preservation professional assisted in developing or reviewed the project, the general contractor and subcontractors are professionally qualified and preservation sensitive, and if the work is being completed by someone other than a licensed contractor, the individual or company is capable of performing the prescribed work.

 

11.  The project has not previously received funding through this program.

 

The applicant is encouraged to be a member of the South Dakota State Historical Society and Preserve South Dakota.  See membership information on pages k-l of the application packet.

 

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Applications are accepted any time, but all eligible applications must be postmarked no later than February 1 or October 1 each year to be considered in the current year cycle.  An applicant must submit an application for each deadline.  Applications will not be forwarded to the next application deadline.

 

Each application is assigned to a historic preservation specialist, usually based on the geographic location of the project.  The specialist reviews the application for completeness and to ensure that the project is eligible for consideration.  If the specialist requires additional information to process the application, he or she will call or write the applicant.

 

An in-house review panel evaluates each application/project based on the criteria listed above.  The preservation staff makes formal recommendations to the South Dakota State Historical Society Board of Trustees (a.k.a. State Review Board) and other key personnel.  The Board makes a final determination on applications in April and December.

 

The State Historic Preservation Officer will notify each applicant about the disposition of the awards within 90 days of the final review by the Board of Trustees.

 

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