Heritage
Preservation
Services
A Guide to Creating Effective Public Participation
for State Historic Preservation Programs
by
Barry R. Lawson, Ellen P. Ryan, and Rebecca Bartlett Hutchison
Web Edition 2002 (originally published in 1993)
Heritage Preservation Services |
A Guide to Creating Effective Public Participation for State Historic Preservation Programs by Barry R. Lawson, Ellen P. Ryan, and Rebecca Bartlett Hutchison Web Edition 2002 (originally published in 1993) |
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"Preservation Vision 2000" Public Participation and the Maryland Plan Appendix NOTE: This information was current in 1993 when the publication was printed, but may not be up to date now. For more information about The Maryland Historical Trust, visit the MHT's web site. (To return to this page, use your browser's "Back" button.)
History
The Maryland Historical Trust was established by state legislation in 1961 as a quasi-governmental organization whose primary goal was to serve as a "holding agency" for historic properties. In 1963, MHT was granted authority to designate and protect historic sites, an action that significantly expanded the scope of the Trusts' activities. With the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966, the Trust assumed the role of the State Historic Preservation Office and, as a result, incorporated additional services and programs in its new residence within the Department of Economic and Community Development.
In 1989, the Maryland Historical Trust underwent another reorganization, which served to consolidate many of the historic and cultural resource preservation programs that previously operated as separate governmental entities. The resulting organization also encompassed stewardship responsibilities for "intangible" resources such as the folklore of Maryland's unique communities and the heritage of Native Americans and other ethnic groups. This most recent reorganization as a crucial step in fulfilling the goal to protect and enhance all of Maryland's heritage, whether a structure, an archaeological site, a community tradition, or a landscape.
The Trust Today
Currently the Maryland Historical Trust constitutes the largest SHPO in the country. A staff of 120 professionals and administrators oversee historical and cultural programs encompassing archaeology and historic preservation, cultural conservation and public interpretation. The Trust also bears stewardship responsibilities for two heritage museums - the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum and Historic St. Mary's City. Two heritage commissions, the African-American History and Culture Commission and the Indian Affairs Commission, provide leadership in the enhancement and documentation of each of these important cultures. MHT operates its programs and services with an aggregate budget of $5.2 million dollars (FY1992). The approximate 10,000 square mile area, populated by 4,781,468 (1990 Census), has 24 major governmental jurisdictions, 23 counties, and the city of Baltimore.
The MHT currently conducts approximately 4,000 compliance reviews per year, oversees 13 Certified Local Governments (CLGs), maintains over 1,000 National Register listings, over 60,000 state register listings, and dispenses capital and non-capital Historic Preservation Fund grants of $146,000 and $150,000, respectively (proposed FY1993).
The vast array of cultural and historical resources found include 18th-century Georgian estates in Annapolis, 17th-century archaeological sites in St. Mary's City, Art Deco theaters in Baltimore, colonial German bank-barns in Frederick County, and the coal-mining folklore of Maryland's western-most counties.
Preservation Planning
The purview of MHT Preservation Planning, located within the Office of Planning and Educational Outreach, includes technical assistance to local governments, the general public, and private preservation advocacy groups. It is chiefly responsible for the development, revision, and implementation of the Maryland Comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan. Another important function is establishing new professional partnerships and strengthening those already in existence. Preservation planning staff meet frequently with such groups as Preservation Maryland, the Maryland Environmental Trust, Maryland Association of Historic District Commissions, and local level preservation planners across the state. Partnership expansion is a prominent goal within Planning and Educational Outreach's annual work plan.
Under the Office of Planning and Educational Outreach, several on-going educational and informational programs have been established that serve as an important foundation for the public participation element of the Plan revision. These publications, conferences, and technical workshops provide important opportunities for monitoring and addressing communities' current needs and concerns. In fact, the outreach program is perceived to be so strong that the staff viewed the Plan revision workshop series as an opportunity to see if there were community concerns or opinions of which they were not aware.
Key Players in the Public Participation Process
Preservation Planner
Since primary responsibility for Plan revision is assigned to the MHT Preservation Planner, Rebecca Bartlett Hutchison assumed the lion's share of tasks associated with the public participation process. Her main contributions were as follows:
As manager, Michael K. Day played a key role in dovetailing the public workshop series with the strategic goals of the Trust and helped to refine various outreach measures and workshop tools to better reflect both the goals of the Trust and the needs for the public participation process. He also presented the framework for the public participation process by discussing the meeting's purpose, introducing each speaker, and emphasizing the role of participant input in the Plan revision process.
Educational Outreach Programs Administrator
As the primary community liaison, Suzanne King advised on publicity efforts and helped to direct communication efforts to interested groups and individuals.
SHPO Director and Deputy Director
As the main architects of the Maryland Historical Trust's mission, programs, and services, J. Rodney Little and Mark R. Edwards provided important guidance to the public participation process through an on-going series of briefings with the staff responsible for the day-to-day workshop planning and administration.
Advisory Committee
Early in the revision process, MHT staff considered convening an advisory committee, similar to that used in 1986, to guide the Plan revision process. The committee's roster was to include:
It was thought that the advisory committee would oversee the administration of the public participation process as well as other concurrent activities such as compilation of current statistics on preservation efforts, demographic trends and economic conditions. The primary role of the Advisory Committee would be as a sounding board and guide to plan revision activities.
Time and budget constraints did not permit the staff to institute the advisory committee to coincide with the public participation process, however. Most likely, a committee will be formed as the public workshops are completed and intensive research and compilation efforts begin.
MHT Board of Trustees and the Governor's Consulting Committee
While no formal relationship was established with each of these advisory panels for the public participation process, members of both committees were kept informed about important decisions and upcoming workshops. However, several individuals on each of these advisory groups, as well as on the County Committees, provided invaluable assistance and advice on workshops held in their particular region.
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