Philmont Beautification Inc (PBInc)

The Village of Philmont Historic District

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Cultural Resources Survey 2019-2021

Are you a homeowner of a property in the Philmont Historic District and are thinking of doing repairs and/or renovations on your property? Download this flyer - Homeowner Tax Credits - Frequently asked Questions to find out how you may qualify for a state historic preservation tax credit equal to 20% of the repair and/or renovations costs.

Find your property in the nomination document to see the listing and find your property on the survey maps pages 137-153. If your property is listed as "contributing" then you may qualify for the historic preservation tax credit.

FAQs - Questions & Answers to 7 questions asked by community members for how the Historic District will benefit the village without raising property taxes, property insurance, and other factors.

How did the Philmont Historic District get listed in the State and National Registries of Historic Places making it possible for homeowners and property owners of commercial buildings to access tax credits?

The Cultural Resources Survey was completed in February 2021 and consists of 444 properties, sites, and artifacts located in the Village of Philmont Historic District. To move toward a National Register nomination for the Historic District to be listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in New York, a nomination was prepared by preservation specialist, Jessie Ravage, which was completed on November 17th, 2023.

Both the Cultural Resources Survey (2021) and the nomination (2023) were made possible in part by Preserve New York grant funds awarded to PBI to assist with the consultant fees of the preservation specialist, Jessie Ravage. The Preserve New York grant program is a partnership between the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the Preservation League of New York State, made possible by NYSCA with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

The nomination of the Philmont Historic District was reviewed and approved by the State Review Board on Dec 4th, 2023 to be listed in the State Registry of Historic Places.

It includes 444 buildings and historic artifacts. A total of 351 are listed as contributing to the Historic District, and a total of 93 listed as non-contributing. Approval of the Philmont Historic District provides property owners access to preservation tax credits to assist with rehabilitation costs. The NYS Homeowner's Tax Credit Program consists of a 20% tax credit for expenditures totaling up to $50,000 in a single year. A property owner can apply every year if necessary.

Qualifying expenditures include heating system upgrades, plumbing work, historic window repair, exterior painting, etc. At least 5% of the expenditures must be spent on exterior repairs.

The next step for the Philmont Historic District nomination is a review in early 2024 to be listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Following approval, owners of income producing properties, (including residential rentals) can apply for the Federal Historic Preservation Incentives for eligible rehabilitations which is 20% on federal income taxes and 30% on state income taxes. All work proposed rehabilitation work must be pre-approved in advance by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the National Parks Service (NPS).

See the Letter package mailed in October 2023 from the State Historic Preservation Office to every property owner in the Historic District.

To assist and participate in establishing the Philmont Historic District, PBI and the Village of Philmont established the Heritage Working Group in 2019. Flyers documenting progress of the consensus gathering status, and Heritage Working Group events were frequently posted to village notice boards, mailed to residents and business owners, and regular announcements published in PBI newsletters during the process 2019-2023.

Heritage Working Group

Sally Baker, Executive Director, Philmont Beautification, Inc. (Facilitator) and resident of Philmont
Tobi Farley, Director, Philmont Library
Shawn Jennings, Columbia Opportunities Weatherization
Arthur King, Business owner and resident of Philmont
Sarah Barton-King, Designer and resident of Philmont
Robert Hoyt, Counselor, Greener Pathways and resident of Philmont
Karen Davala, Business owner, Davala Real Estate
David Bolevice, resident
Paul Naprstek, resident, Architect
Cara Brownell, resident
George Brehm, resident (deceased)
Jake Lewis, resident
Mark Katz, resident
Jennifer Thibeault, Business owner
Jeane Laporta, Local Historian, Town of Claverack

To participate in the Heritage Working Group, with contact the Village Office by sending a letter of interest, or you can click here to register to receive an invitation.

Breaking News! 10/1/23

The nomination of the Village of Philmont Historic District to be listed on the NY State and National Registries of Historic Places will be reviewed by the State Review Board on December 4th.

In preparation for this review, residents and business owners who own a property(s) in the Historic District will receive a notification letter in October from Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation providing the information for the upcoming nomination, and announcing a Public Hearing to be held by the Village Board, presented by PARKS specialists on November 14th at 7pm in the Village Hall.

All are Welcome to the Public Hearing!

Meetings, Summary Notes, Presentations, and Flyers

2021

October flyer in water bill*

November 17 2021 summary notes

December 15 2021 summary notes

June webinar- SHPO, Preservation Specialist, PBI

June Q&A by webinar attendees - print out of Q&A

2022

January 20, 2022 Summary Notes

February 16, 2022 Summary Notes

March 16, 2022 Summary Notes

April 20, 2022 Summary Notes

April Flyer*

April Dot Survey

May 25, 2022 Summary Notes

June 15, 2022 Summary Notes

July 20, 2022 Summary Notes

September – flyer - presentation*

September 11 presentation - Milestone Heritage Consulting -Village Hall

2023

January flyer - Community Q&A at-a-glance

January flyer presentation*

February flyer

March flyer State Historic Preservation Office - presentation -Village Hall

April Flyer

April Dot Survey - community outreach participation

July - Community Day - pop-tent on Village Green

July – Dot Survey

July – Historic District nomination banner

October – SHPO direct mailing to property owners with properties located in the Philmont Historic District

November flyer

November - Village Hall presentation by NY State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)

December – Recording of the State Review Board. Philmont Historic Distrcit nomination review presentation begins at 3:58:45 and runs until 4:08:30 of the recording.

*Heritage Working Group outreach flyers were inserted into the Village of Philmont quarterly water bills mailed to every property owner in the Village of Philmont.

Preserve New York Press Release 8/01/22

"Philmont Beautification, Inc. (PBI) is one of this year’s Preserve New York (PNY) grantees. Their grant of $14,000 will enable PBI to hire Jessie Ravage of Cooperstown to complete a potential State and National Register nomination of the Village of Philmont Historic District for over 400 resources and properties. This designation could ultimately benefit the work of PBI, residents and business owners by allowing them to use the Federal and NYS Historic Tax Credits for rehabilitation projects. The Preservation League of NYS and their program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation are thrilled to help fund this important work."

“This grant award will enable the community and the Village of Philmont to evaluate and advance the creation of the Village of Philmont Historic District” said John Gourlay, President, Philmont Beautification, Inc. “PBI is delighted to have been chosen for this grant award that will assist with hiring the consultant, Jessie Ravage, to conduct this State and National Register nomination with the participation of PBI and the community-based Heritage Working Group."

To read the full Press Release published by Preserve New York - click here.

Press Release 5/27/21

The Village of Philmont, in a project partnership with Philmont Beautification, Inc.,(PBI) has released a three volume Reconnaissance Level Cultural Resources Survey and Appendices conducted and compiled by preservationist consultant, Jessie Ravage. The survey was funded by the Preservation League of New York under the Preserve New York* program awarded to PBI in 2019 and received funding provided by New York State Department of State under the Brownfield Opportunity Program, (BOA) to the Village of Philmont in 2020.

“The release of this survey of Philmont’s historic buildings and mills is a major step forward for the village. I ran for elected office as Mayor on a promise to work with the community to achieve continued revitalization in the Village, this survey is a major step towards making good on that promise” said Mayor Brian Johnson. “Laying the pathway to create a Village of Philmont Historic District will help property owners repair and fix their properties by using the Federal and NYS Historic Preservation Tax Credits.”

A recent Statement of Significance based on the evaluation of the survey by NYS Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation has determined the Village of Philmont is eligible to apply for the nomination of the Historic District.

The preliminary boundary for the district incorporates most of the village. To the south, it runs across the ridge and includes both sides of Summit Street and all of Summit Lake. To the east, it includes the south side of Martindale Road and Route 217 to the village boundary. To the north, the boundary generally includes the extent of the village’s north-south streets, including Eagle, Columbia, Maple, Prospect, and Highland. To the west, the boundary runs along the western boundary of the village. The Village of Philmont Historic District includes approximately 425 resources, including the man-made Summit Lake. The early hamlet extended along Main Street, which was improved as a turnpike in the early nineteenth century. Several mill buildings and structures associated with waterpower remain extant throughout the community. Most of the village’s residential and commercial buildings date to ca. 1870-ca.1900, during its period of peak expansion. A few central commercial and institutional buildings in the center of the community and residences near the edges date to the first half of the century, reflecting both the village’s physical maturation and the relative stability of the factory town during that period.

“There has been a considerable excitement in the community about this survey in the works since the fall of 2019, said Sally Baker, Co/founder, Executive Director of Philmont Beautification, Inc, “it gathered a lot of community support, and we hope it will generate many conversations and continued community participation with PBI going forward towards a potential Nomination for a Village of Philmont Historic District.”

The Cultural Resources Survey and 2 volume Appendices are available at the Philmont Village Office for viewing during normal office hours Mon-Fri 9am-3pm, at the Philmont Library for library check-out, and electronic versions can be accessed online on both web sites, and on Philmont Beautification, Inc.’s site. Copies of just the Survey volume are available for purchase for $20 at the Village Office and the Philmont Library.

A free ticket informational online presentation was hosted by Philmont Beautification, Inc., as a Zoom webinar on June 24th to facilitate community discussions of the Cultural Resources Survey, and how it can lead to creating a Village of Philmont Historic District. It consisted of two speakers and a community Q&A aimed at starting the conversation to build consensus to create a Historic District.

“Philmont’s History & Survey” was presented by preservationist consultant, Jessie Ravage. The presentation covered Ravage’s experience of assembling the Cultural Resources Survey, the history of Philmont as a mill town, and her recommendations for creating a Village of Philmont Historic District.

“Creating a Village of Philmont Historic District” was presented by Jennifer Betsworth, a Historic Preservation Program Analyst at NYS Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. Ms. Betsworth presented a high-level presentation of the process involved in creating a Village of Philmont Historic District, what a National Register nomination entails, a review of the preservation tax credit programs available to property owners, addressed some of the misconceptions about what a Historic District is and is not, and how the preservation tax credits can assist property owners with repairs to their properties – both interior and exterior.

USEFUL RESOURCES / PROJECT DOCUMENTS

WATCH THE WEBINAR

*Preserve New York is a signature grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts and the Preservation League of New York State. Preserve New York is made possible with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

The Cultural Resources Survey was prepared with funding provided by the New York State
Department of State under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund.

Celebrate Philmont's History - presentation 9-11-22 - click here to access presentation slides

The audio recording of the presentation can be accesed on Philmont's WGXC Radio Page where you can listen to the presentation and follow along with Matt Kierstead's slides.