The Southampton Town Landmarks & Historic Districts Board is reminding owners of historic properties, who are struggling to maintain those properties, that they can apply for a 2018 Landmarks Maintenance Program Award.
The application deadline is Friday, December 29, and the properties must be designated Southampton Town landmarks. Owner-applicants are also required to have Basic or Enhanced School Tax Relief (STAR) status. The work must be completed in a year and verified by a Landmarks & Historic Districts Board member.
This is the program’s fifth year supporting the preservation and long-term stability of designated properties in Southampton Town.
“We have awarded a total of about $69,000 to owners over the last four years,” said Stephanie O. Davis, the board’s vice chair, in a statement. “Awards were made to designated Town Landmarks in Water Mill, East Quogue, Shinnecock Hills and Hampton Bays that applied for a variety of exterior maintenance conditions.”
Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, structural stabilization; window, door and shutter restoration; and resolving water-penetration issues.
“These precious landmarks are a significant part of Southampton’s rich heritage and identity,” Southampton Town Councilman John Bouvier said in a press release. “Through the Landmarks Maintenance Award Program, we can encourage the protection and preservation of important buildings that are owned by concerned people under financial constraints.”
Ms. Davis noted that the program is an incentive for owners of historic resources to seek landmark status, and those owners could also receive a tax abatement and a preservation easement. A 2014 town survey found 980 historic resources that might qualify for landmark status. The list can be found at southamptontownny.gov/390/Historical-Studies-Reports.
Owners of designated landmarks can find the Landmarks Maintenance Program Award application at southamptontownny.gov/730/Applications-Forms.