The Aurora City Council is set to approve 14 Historic Preservation Grants for 2024.
Aldermen put passage of the grants, given each year since 2019, on the consent agenda for Tuesday’s regular City Council meeting, meaning the grants are likely to be approved.
Jill Morgan, an Aurora city planner, said the 14 awards were given from 22 applicants. The ones turned down were either incomplete applications, did not adhere to historic preservation guidelines or were more maintenance-oriented, she said.
The city budgeted a total of $327,000 this year for the historic preservation grants. The 14 proposed awards total $191,450, which leaves $135,550 that the city could grant later in the year for more preservation awards, Morgan said.
“So we could give some others a chance this year,” she said.
The applications represented all four of the city’s local historic districts, the National Register district and local landmarks, Morgan said.
The Preservation Grant Program is a reimbursable grant for exterior historic rehabilitation projects. The maximum award is $20,000. All grants at or under $10,000 require no cash match. All grants over $10,000 require a dollar-for-dollar cash match for every dollar over $10,000.
The final $1,000 of the grant is additional funding for the use of local contractors. Properties must be owner-occupied and designated as historic within the city and must meet all other eligibility requirements.
The work is all exterior ranging from tuckpointing, window repair, siding repair and painting to gutter replication and porch restorations.
The grants recommended by staff for approval, and that the council will vote on, are: 108 N. View St., Tanner Historic District, porch repair, $2,951; 116 N. View St., Tanner, window restoration, $6,402; 219 N. Locust St., Tanner, siding repair and painting, $7,860; 222 N. Chestnut St., Tanner, painting, new handrail, new gutters, $21,000; 311-313 Grand Ave., Tanner, window repair, $12,930; 332 Plum St., Tanner, siding repair, painting and porch repair, $12,875; 413 Wilder St., Tanner, cornice and gutter replication, $17,660.
Also: 418 Palace St., Tanner, gutter replacement, $12,600; 424 West Park Ave., Tanner, siding repair and painting, $18,218; 551 W. Downer Place, a Landmark, gutter replacement and soffit/fascia repair, $21,000; 625 Oak Ave., Tanner, window restoration and new wood storm doors, $11,759; 730 Grand Ave., Riddle Highlands Historic District, tuckpointing and window lintel and sill repair, $15,075; 740 Palace St., Riddle Highlands, tuckpointing and chimney repair, $16,120; and 985 Sheffer Road, a Landmark, gutter replacement and soffit/fascia.
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