Albany, NY - October 1, 2013 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced $12 million in federal grants for not-for-profit organizations and municipalities to cover the cost of repairs to historic preservation sites that sustained damage during Superstorm Sandy.

The program is funded by the National Park Service and administered by the Natural Heritage Trust in partnership with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

“Superstorm Sandy caused serious damage at many of our state’s historic sites in communities across New York,” Governor Cuomo said. “This funding will enable not-for-profit organizations and municipalities to cover the costs of emergency repairs following the storm, and help rehabilitate these iconic landmarks.”

“Countless properties listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places were in the storm’s path,” Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Rose Harvey said. “Under the Governor’s leadership, we are excited to offer this assistance in New York’s ongoing recovery from the storm.”

Properties eligible for grants must be in Suffolk, Nassau, Kings, Queens, Bronx, New York, Richmond, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Sullivan or Ulster counties, and listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, or a contributing resource within a listed or eligible historic district.

Work must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties and be pre-approved by the State Historic Preservation Office. Eligible activities include:

• Pre-development activities, including Historic Structure Reports, condition assessments, plans and specifications and other related surveys and studies;
• Archeological stabilization;
• Building restoration, rehabilitation and stabilization; or
• Restoration, rehabilitation, preservation and stabilization of a documented historic landscape.

The deadline for applications is November 25, 2013. The application, guidelines and additional information on eligibility requirements are available at http://nysparks.com/shpo/. For questions, contact the State Historic Preservation Office at (518) 237-8643.

Unlike other state historic preservation grants, no match is required from the applicant, although matching funds are encouraged. The minimum grant request for predevelopment costs is $10,000. The minimum grant request for capital costs is $25,000. The maximum grant amount is $1 million. As with other state historic preservation grants, the program is reimbursement only; projects must be completed within 18 months of the grant award.

The New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), part of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, manages all state and federal historic preservation programs that help communities, municipalities, and individuals identify, evaluate, preserve, protect, and revitalize their historic, archeological and cultural resources.

The Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) is a public benefit corporation of the State of New York. It receives and manages public and private grants, gifts and contributions to further public programs in support of parks, conservation and historic preservation statewide. The Commissioner of OPRHP is also the State Historic Preservation Officer and the chair of the NHT Board of Directors. The SHPO and NHT share many mission compatible goals and purposes and are partnering to administer the grant program.