The town of Malta is finding itself in a unique and enviable position. Late last month the town was recognized, not for the cutting edge technology that’s about to come to town or the new traffic patterns resulting from a cluster of roundabouts, but instead for its history, and more importantly, the town’s stated commitment to preserving it.
This is a tremendous honor for our town, said Teri Ulrich, town historian, upon learning that the town had officially become recognized as a certified local government (CLG).
The CLG program is a nationwide program designed to connect the preservation goals of local communities with the preservation programs that exist on the state and federal levels. Benefits to the CLG designation include access to grant money earmarked specifically for CLG projects, technical preservation assistance, legal advice, and training opportunities.
The CLG program in New York is administered by the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). Currently, more than 52 municipalities in New York and just more than 1,000 nationwide have completed the necessary requirements to be designation as a CLG.
`CLG status is an important tool for growth in Malta, especially now, when we have the competing priorities of rising to the challenges of becoming a blossoming tech park center, while at the same time preserving our rural and historic character,` said Ulrich. `This is no easy thing to manage; however, the CLG program will help us toward that end.`
The application process began in August 2005. Although the town already had a historical preservation ordinance as well as a historical preservation review commission, those things needed to be further developed through the year-long application process.
`During the process, the town reviewed and modified its historical preservation ordinance and inserted it into the town zoning law,` said Audrey Ball, director of parks and recreation. `Now developers know when considering development that historical resources are on the property, they are eyeing for development and are aware of the process that may be required if there is a landmark on their property, as well as a potential property.`
Additionally, Ball noted new procedures were developed with the assistance of the planning and building department so that all applications and questions related to town landmarks are referred to the Historic Preservation Review Committee for comment or a certificate of appropriateness.
As the director of the parks and recreation department, Ball said she has a vested interest and commitment to preservation. She said part of the mission of her department `involves wise planning and a responsibility to manage, identify, and protect` local resources for future generations.
Ball and Ulrich agree that the town’s historical sites have been feeling the pressure of development. Ulrich said one historic building was lost to development pressure in 1995, while another was lost to neglect in 2005. The current construction of the routes 9 and 67 roundabout will cut into the historic district, she added.
The women added that an additional motivator for seeing the application process through to the end was a promise made to former town historian, Ruth Roerig. Roerig had been in discussions with Ball prior to her death in 2004 about seeking the CLG designation for the assistance it could provide to the town and the HPRC in their efforts to preserve the town’s historical buildings and properties.
Roerig’s vision is becoming a reality. In anticipation of the official CLG designation, the town had applied for two CLG grants. The first would fund the master plan process of the historic district, while the second will provide training for the HPRC members, town board members and other interested parties said Ball.
`Under this grant application, the town of Malta will arrange for professional training workshops by an outside consultant,` said Ball. `The training will be tailored specifically to the town of Malta and will be focused on historic preservation in the CLG environment.`
Already the benefits of being a CLG are being realized. Just last month, Ulrich, along with HPRC Chairman Steve Rutkey, participated in a forum with representatives from the town of Queens-bury. Joining them was Tony Tozzi, the assistant planner of the city of Saratoga Springs, itself a well established CLG.
`The town of Queensbury looks closely at Malta and what we’re doing to manage our development,` said Ulrich. She said that she and Rutkey were able to provide information on the CLG application process and speak to the gains that have been realized as a result. Ulrich was quick to note that for as much knowledge as she shared with them about Malta’s experiences she learned just as much from Tozzi who was able to speak from the perspective of a government which had held the CLG designation for many years.
Ulrich said the forum was beneficial to everyone and has resulted in a desire for the three local CLG municipalities (Malta, Saratoga Springs and Schenec-tady) to meet periodically to address regional issues and create a cooperative environment where they are `working in concert with one another.`
`It is important in this era of growth in our town to not only look forward with good planning, but to include in that planning the importance and preservation of our historic and cultural resources for future generations,` said Ball who added future plans are in the discussion stages regarding touring historical sites and cultural trails in Malta.
Information about the designation is available by contacting the historian’s office at 899-7286 or the department of parks and recreation at 899-4411. “