The Cortez City Council Tuesday night approved a resolution that supports the application for a grant between the city and the Colorado Historical Society to continue its inventory of properties within the original townsite of Cortez and within the Coffins Addition.
The Coffins Addition is north of Maine Street to Montezuma Avenue from Washington Street east to Adams Street.
City Planning Director Kirsten Sackett said the approval to go out for a third grant would enable the Cortez Historical Society to continue the survey of these properties.
Linda Towle, board president of the Cortez Historical Society, told the council that her board is just an advisory group made up of volunteers with no funds from the city.
She told the council that the grant she would be applying for from the Colorado Historical Society is free and would not require any matching funds.
I am willing to write the grant again for free, Towle said. She said the amount of the grant would likely be $21,000 again, which is what was awarded to them for the 2012 survey which was finalized earlier this year.
Sackett informed the council that the city in 2010 received designation from the National Parks Service as a certified local government, and this designation allows the city and its residents to participate in the state preservation tax credit program that makes it eligible to apply for grants from the Colorado Historical Society.
This will be the third grant the city has pursued.
In 2011 the city was awarded a grant to inventory the properties on Montezuma Avenue from Linden Street to the half block between Ash and Washington streets, which has been completed.
As a result of the survey, 34 properties were deemed eligible to be placed on the city register, though two already are on this register.
Towle said if all 32 properties decide they want to be placed on the register, the city would waive the fee.
As of Thursday afternoon only four out of the 32 property owners had responded, and the remaining 28 have until Nov. 5 to do so.
Earlier this year the city was awarded its second grant to continue its inventory as well as other properties to the east of what was done in 2011, including properties south of Montezuma Avenue on North Street and east of Harrison Street, which is ongoing.
The third grant would be to continue the inventory in the original town site with all of the connecting streets between Montezuma Avenue and North Street.
The grant deadline, Sackett said, is Nov. 15, 2012 and the additional funds from the third grant would be utilized to hire a consultant to complete the next survey.
Before the grant could be submitted council needed to approve a resolution authorizing the Historical Preservation Board to apply for this grant.
In other news the council approved:
The transfer of the location for a medical marijuana license for True Earth Medicine LLC for 1104 E. Main St. The license includes an on site optional premises cultivation license. A new location was needed because True Earths previous facility did not meet the citys minimum distance requirements.
True Earth Medicine owner C. J. Murphy told the council that everything with the facility has been checked and is now ready for business.
A contract with the Piñon Project for the Piñon Project Youth Enrichment Program.
michaelm@cortezjournal.com
