Title
Vote to award a contract to hmwPreservation for the Chatham County Architectural Survey update and approve the contract for up to $300,000
Abstract
Introduction & Background: With the support of the Board of Commissioners, the Planning Department has initiated an update to the county's Architectural Survey, originally completed in the late 1980s. It is standard practice to revisit and revise these surveys every 30-40 years. Updates are often prompted by major weather events-such as hurricanes or floods-that threaten historic resources, or by infrastructure projects, like those led by NCDOT, that may impact historically significant sites.
Chatham's approach is more proactive. The county is continuing to experience record residential growth that continues to expand into the rural and agricultural areas of the county. These changes impact the county's historic resources catalogued in the original architectural survey, and the updated inventory will support preservation efforts and foster greater appreciation of both historic and newly recognized architectural assets, with a special emphasis on documenting Chatham's history of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities, particularly in relation to agricultural heritage.
Planning staff have selected hmwPreservation to lead the update. Heather Slane, the firm's principal, brings extensive experience from similar projects across North Carolina and comes highly recommended. We're excited to begin this important work with her.
Discussion & Analysis: Published in 1991, the first Comprehensive Architectural Survey was separated into three sections. The first section is the survey of the 13 Townships and the town of Siler City by Rachel Osborn, completed in two phases from 1982-1986. The second section was completed by Ruth Selden-Sturgill and was a survey of Pittsboro. The third section was the in-depth historic inventory and the thorough editing of what became the final 391-page volume.
The fi...
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