Agenda 02-15-24; 1 - Boards and Commissions – Annual Work Plan Summaries

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15 Identify any activities this commission expects to carry out in 2024 as they relate to established BOCC goals and priorities. If applicable, is there a fiscal impact (i.e., funding, staff time, other resources) associated with these proposed activities? • Promote diversity in the Landmark and National Register Programs: The HPC will continue its work to recognize and designate diverse historic resources through the Historic Landmark and National Register programs, with special focus on Black sites and other underrepresented or threatened historic resources. The HPC seeks to generate at least two new landmark and/or National Register applications per year. (No fiscal impact—already budgeted in the Lands Legacy program funding) • Historic Resources Book Project: The HPC plans to complete its historic resources book, in partnership with the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough. The completed texts are now being reviewed and edited in preparation for book design and layout. Photography is underway to produce current high-quality color images for publication. Fundraising has been completed for printing in 2024. (No fiscal impact—county share budgeted in past years) • North Carolina Celebration of the USA 250th Anniversary: The HPC will continue to participate in the local planning process for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2025-2026. (No fiscal impact during planning stages) • Increase awareness of Archaeological Resources: Our county possesses a wealth of historic and pre-historic archaeological resources that illuminate the history and culture of all our people, from the Indians to our earliest African and European settlers. The HPC will pursue educational and landmark/National Register designation projects to raise public awareness about these significant resources (No fiscal impact) • Old Courthouse Historical and Architectural Research: the HPC will continue its long-range project to document the history of the Old Courthouse, in preparation for a future CIP project. This project includes historical exhibits and interpretive signage to tell the story of the complex role the courthouse played in the lives of our residents, in ways that present the full story from all perspectives. (Funding for research phase approved in prior budget year). What are the concerns or emerging issues your board has identified for the upcoming year that it plans to address, or wishes to bring to the Commissioners' attention? • Abandoned Black burial grounds: There are numerous abandoned informal Black burial grounds scattered across the county, many of which contain the burials of those who were enslaved. These are often unmarked or poorly marked and known only to neighboring landowners, genealogists or elderly descendants of those buried in these sacred places. The HPC will seek outside funding for a project to identify, research, and protect these burial grounds, using a variety of tools including surveying/marking boundaries, fencing, and permanent interpretive markers. The project will include mapping these sites in the county GIS system to help protect them from future development during planning review. • County historic marker program: The HPC will continue to study the feasibility and costs of a county-wide historic and cultural marker program, modeled on similar programs in other areas that utilize both physical markers and/or map-driven web sites and/or phone apps. A marker program is a way to provide accurate historical content in an accessible/interactive format about cultural resources, places and people of significance to our local communities, especially the underrepresented. This should be developed in collaboration with our partners in local government. (No fiscal impact at this time)