Agenda 10-03-23; 4-b - National Register Recommendation for Ridge Road School

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1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: October 3, 2023 Action Agenda Item No. 4-b SUBJECT: National Register Recommendation for Ridge Road School DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR) ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: 1) Ridge Road School: National Peter Sandbeck, 245-2517 Register Report 2) Elected Official Comment Letter 3) Historic Preservation Commission Comment Letter Endorsing National Register Designation PURPOSE: To consider the Historic Preservation Commission's (HPC's) recommendation that the historic property known as the Ridge Road School be recommended to the State Historic Preservation Office for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. BACKGROUND: The historic Ridge Road School is being nominated to the National Register for its significance as one of the best-preserved historic two-room Black schoolhouses in Orange County, built in the 1930s and used until the 1950s. The federal process for listing a property in the National Register of Historic Places includes a provision giving the BOCC the opportunity to offer a recommendation for or against the listing of historic properties within its jurisdiction. The HPC fully supports the nomination of the Ridge Road School to the National Register. As required, the HPC held a public hearing and received public comment regarding this proposed National Register listing at its regular meeting on September 27, 2023. The HPC subsequently recommended the proposed designation for approval (Attachment 3). DEAPR contracted with a consultant to prepare this National Register Report to promote this official recognition for properties of special historical, architectural or cultural significance to Orange County. This is an ongoing HPC program to protect and preserve historic resources. Funding was provided through the County's Lands Legacy Program, which includes as one of its priorities the protection of "lands of historic, cultural, or archaeological significance." The National Register is an honorary designation that carries no local regulatory burden, but does provide a federal and state process for protection in the case of projects receiving federal or state funding, or projects that require some form of federal or state permit or license. The attached National Register report provides a detailed architectural description, followed by a statement of the school's significance and historical context about Black schools in Orange County, along with a detailed history of the school (Attachment 1).