Workshop on historic rehabilitation tax credits and grants to be March 29

By Jessica Legge
Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT March 21, 2008 11:48 pm

— Historic rehabilitation tax credits and grants can reduce the total cost of repairs for building owners.
A workshop on the topic will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 29, at the High Gate Carriage House in Fairmont.
Main Street Fairmont and KCI Technologies Inc. in Morgantown are sponsoring the event, which is free and open to the public.
Sandra Scaffidi, a Main Street Fairmont volunteer, said the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit workshop targets people who own historic buildings that are either listed in the National Register of Historic Places or are located in a historic district.
Scaffidi, who has an architectural historian background, will serve as Main Street’s new Americorps Vista worker for a year beginning in April.
Vera Sansalone, executive director of Main Street, said Fairmont features the Downtown Historic District and the Watson-Fleming Historic District. Mannington also has an historic district.
Developers interested in purchasing and rehabilitating historic buildings or accountants who prepare documents using tax credits could also benefit from attending the workshop, she said.
“Sometimes buildings are not feasible to rehabilitate unless you have tax credits,” Sansalone said. “It makes the project more affordable so you can rehab a historic building.”
If a property isn’t listed in the National Register, Main Street can help the owner determine whether the building is eligible and then apply through the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office, Scaffidi said.
Once a property is on the National Register, the owner will then be able to apply for tax credits. Grants are also available for historic rehabilitation.
She said the workshop is an effort to assist citizens or developers in using tax credits to fix up historic buildings and save money.
“We’re just trying to help put knowledge in people’s hands so they can take an initiative,” Scaffidi said. “I think it’s really important to preserve what we have.”
Before persons do any work on their buildings, they should contact the State Historic Preservation Office to ensure that they’re following the set rules, Scaffidi said.
Chris Knorr, assistant director of the office, will be the presenter for the workshop and can answer questions.
Knorr will talk about state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits, which can be used for residential and commercial structures in a historic district or on the National Register. He will explain how to apply for tax credits, what steps to take, and the impact of tax credits, Sansalone said.
The workshop isn’t just for Marion County people. Anyone is invited to attend. Scaffidi encouraged persons to call the Main Street Office at 366-0468 to register in advance.
She suggested that individuals who have questions about their buildings bring photographs to the workshop.
“I just want to make sure that people understand it’s important to preserve their historic buildings, and Fairmont’s very lucky that we have a great variety of them,” Scaffidi said.
“It’s also a good way to bring development downtown and reinvest in our community.”
E-mail Jessica Legge at jlegge@timeswv.com.