Board Policy - Section Number: 01.31.00.00

Historic Preservation “Challenge Grant” Program

Purpose

To promote historic preservation, heritage tourism, and related economic development within Hillsborough County (both incorporated and unincorporated areas), the Historic Preservation Challenge Grant Program is established.

Policy

Available grant funds will be awarded to applicants selected pursuant to this policy on a minimum of 1:1 matching basis. No award recipient shall receive more than $250,000 per project in any county budget year.

Application Cycle

There will be one (1) application cycle per year. One additional cycle may be added per fiscal year, based on funding and need levels, as determined by the County Administrator. Application deadlines shall be established administratively.

Grant Review Committee

A Grant Review Committee (“Committee”) will be appointed by the Board of County Commissioners (“BOCC”). The Committee will be comprised of nine (9) Hillsborough County (incorporated and unincorporated) citizens who have expertise in one or more of the following areas: historic preservation, architecture, heritage tourism, marketing and economic development, landscape architecture, and interior design. The Committee must include residents from the unincorporated County and at least one resident of Temple Terrace, Plant City, and Tampa. Committee members shall serve for a term of two (2) years, but shall not serve more than three successive terms.

Staff Participation

The County Administrator shall designate staff with responsibility and experience in economic development, tourism, community development and historic preservation to review all submitted applications for Program eligibility before Committee review. The designated staff will assist the Committee with the review and analysis of eligible applications, but will not have a vote on the Committee.

Application Review Process

Applications will be ranked and prioritized by the Committee based on the final points accrued by each eligible applicant pursuant to the requirements outlined in this policy. The score of an application may not necessarily be the sole means by which funding recommendations are made by the Committee.

Final Decision on Awards

The Committee’s recommendations will be forwarded to the BOCC for final approval.

Eligibility Requirements

Project Types

Projects eligible for funding must fall within one or more of the following project types.

Ranking criteria must be established by the Committee to prioritize project types for funding based on BOCC’s desired policy objectives.

Rehabilitation/Restoration of Historic Structures. This type is defined as: interior and/or exterior preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction or relocation of an existing “historic building” (one that meets National Register listing criteria -- either on the National Register of Historic Places; locally designated as a “landmark” under County/City Ordinance; a contributing structure within a National Register or Local Historic District; or otherwise may be eligible under National Register criteria). Projects may include, without limitation, renovation of an existing historic property to meet code requirements, installation of security related equipment or improvements, or structural stabilization, including “moth-balling” of structures that without emergency measures may be lost, including associated engineering and architectural costs.
Compatible Additions to Historic Properties. This type is defined as: additions or alterations to facilitate adaptive reuse, construction of architecturally appropriate kiosks, information facilities or utility structures or security related equipment or improvements, including associated engineering and architectural costs, for historic buildings as described in Project Type 1, above. Eligible projects also may include reconstruction of lost historic resources.
Improvements to Historic Sites or Grounds. This type is defined as: restoration/reuse of other non-building historic places, including security related equipment or improvements (e.g. cemeteries, gardens), including associated engineering and architectural costs.
Architectural Heritage Tourism Projects. This type is defined as: non-building projects that promote existing historic resources and heritage tourism, such as: development of print or electronic materials/brochures that support the mission, interpretive, promotional or way finding signage, or exhibit/tour development.

Project Requirements:

All of the following requirements must be met for a project to be eligible for funding under this program.

The project must be located in Hillsborough County (incorporated or unincorporated).

2. The applicant must have the financial resources to fund all project costs pending receipt of reimbursements from grant funds.

3. The applicant must match all of the County grant funds by at least a 1:1 ratio, as provided below:

At least 50% of the applicant’s match must be in the applicant’s cash or in-kind service or equipment donations or volunteer labor, that otherwise meet project requirements.
The applicant’s match may not be provided solely through alternative matching funds or other sources.
A minimum of 50% of the match (in other words, 25% of total Project budget) must be provided by the applicant.
Applicant must demonstrate that the grant funding is necessary to complete the Project. Applicant may not seek grant funding for a project that applicant is able to fully fund from other sources.

4. Applications must demonstrate that the total Project budget will be covered by committed available funding sources.

5. All construction (including new construction) shall meet existing design criteria for historic construction of the certified local government’s historic preservation program in which the Project is situated. In the absence of a certified local government historic preservation program or applicable design criteria for the Project under such program, the Project must meet applicable Secretary of Interior Standards for Rehabilitation.

6. All work must be performed by qualified professionals/Florida licensed contractors.

7. Prior to distribution of any grant funds, all building plans must be approved by the reviewing historic preservation board or commission with jurisdiction over the Project (e.g. County Historic Resources Review Board, City of Tampa Architectural Review Commission, the Barrio Latino Commission, City of Plant City Historic Resources Board) and all other required permits, licenses, approvals required for the Project must be obtained. (Note that Plan approval by such entities is not required as a condition of application; but must be obtained prior to receipt of any funding.)

8. Physical construction to be subject to matching grant funding may not be commenced prior to grant award (unless otherwise specified in the Agreement, and in the case of an emergency stabilization or mothballing project, in which case work may not be commenced prior to date of application).

9. Funds cannot be used for Project operating expenses (such as maintenance) or acquisition of real property.

10. For construction Projects, the applicant must prove ownership or control of the Project site at the time of application.

11. Work must be completed within twelve (12) months of execution of the funding agreement between the County and Grantee unless otherwise specified in the Agreement.

12. Projects with a total County financial commitment of $100,000 or more also must satisfy all requirements set forth in Board Policy Section Number 04.05.00.00 regarding Capital Funding for Outside Agencies.

13. Applicant may not be a federal, state, or local government, or other public body, agency, department, instrumentality, political subdivision, municipality, or district thereof. Exceptions may be made for nonprofits that lease a property owned by a governmental entity, or are responsible for the preservation of the historic building or site.

14. For construction Projects on privately owned property, a Preservation and Restricted Use Agreement must be executed requiring return of the grant funding on an amortized basis if the property is sold without the County's prior approval within five (5) years.

Application Requirements

The application for a Historic Preservation Challenge Grant shall be complete and include all documentation necessary for the Committee to thoroughly review the Project. The following items shall be submitted by the applicant:

Part A - Introduction

The applicant shall provide an overview of the Project that shall not exceed one 8.5x11 page.

In addition to the overview, the following information shall be provided:

1. Legal Description and Real Estate Folio number(s) of Property

2. Owner(s) of property

3. Name of Applicant (if different than Owner)

4. Contact information for all parties – Owner(s), Lessees, Contractors, and Consultants

5. Name and contact information for Applicant/Project Representative

6. Brief description of any previous construction work carried out on the property.

7. Grant Amount requested and Total Project Cost.

Part B – Description of Project – Non construction elements

The applicant shall provide a description of non-construction activities to be carried out as part of the Project. This shall include all activities which do not involve actual construction and may include some of the following:

1. Heritage tourism promotion elements

2. Activities directly involved in increasing economic impact.

3. Design and engineering

4. Project schedule

Part C – Description of Project - Construction elements

The applicant shall provide a description of construction-related activities to be carried out as part of this Project. Based on the size and scope of the Project, the applicant shall provide preliminary drawings describing the following:

1. Site Plan

2. Floor Plans

3. Elevations and Sections

4. Material descriptions

5. Photographs of existing conditions with attached notes describing work to be carried out.

6. Project schedule

7. Any additional documentation necessary to describe the scope of the Project may be provided.

Part D -- Financial elements

The applicant shall provide all financial information necessary to evaluate conformance with the financial requirements of the Grant Program.

1. Overall Project budget defining the scope of the Project, the amount of the grant requested, amount of matching funds provided by the applicant, any other sources of income and the expenditures necessary to accomplish the Project.

2. Estimate of non-construction expenditures necessary to define all proposed costs for non-construction elements in detail and indicating income source to be used to pay for each item.

3. Estimate of Construction cost shall define the cost for each construction element of the Project and shall include reasonable documentation of construction cost estimates indicating income source to be used to pay for each line item.

4. Business Plan. In projects where the funding will be utilized to support or enhance a public or private commercial venture or business, the applicant shall provide a business plan with a description of the business and how the grant will affect the business operations. Such plan shall at a minimum contain the following items:

Organizational structure of business
Description of the type of business and services to be provided and/or sold.
Description of the due diligence efforts taken by applicant to appraise financial results of the venture, including competitive market analysis and supporting revenues and expenses.
Description of how grant will support sustainability of the venture.
Description of any long term expenditures which may be required to continue the operation and anticipated source of such funding.

5. Applicants must provide documentary proof (a commitment letter or similar) to evidence each source of funding necessary to complete the Project (except for the funding source being sought through the grant application). The total cost of the Project must be covered by the Total Project Funding.

6. All ad Valorem taxes on property must be current.

7. Title to the property must be clear with the exception of mortgage liens.

Part E – Review Criteria

The applicant shall provide a description of how the Project meets and/or exceeds each of the applicable Review Criteria and sub-criteria (described in this document) as they apply. Each Criteria item shall be described on at least one 8.5 x 11 page and shall not exceed three pages.

Submittal Format

The application shall be submitted in digital format. It shall be saved to a USB Flash Drive or CD in PDF format and placed in a sleeve with the Project Name attached to the front of the sleeve and on the CD. The application shall be saved as one PDF file with a table of contents. In addition to the digital application, one hard copy of the application shall be submitted.

Review Criteria

A. CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

The following seven (7) review criteria shall be used by the Committee to evaluate all building projects. Each application will receive a score for each review criteria. Factors to be considered in awarding points for each criterion are provided.

1. PROMOTION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION:

Promotes historic preservation

2. LEVERAGING:

Applicant has the financial resources to fund the project costs pending receipt of reimbursements from the grant funds
Leverages matching fund grant in terms of financing, expertise and networking
Demonstrates monetary leverage of County matching funds of 1:1 (or greater)
Demonstrates collaborative and synergistic approach, including with other preservation/heritage tourism or economic development projects

3. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IMPACT:

Demonstrates a well-thought out idea and model that has the potential to be sustainable and generate economic development
Creates permanent local jobs and potential for sustained economic impact and growth
Creates construction jobs
Uses local contractors
Uses local suppliers/materials
Contributes to tax base (applicable to for-profit projects)
Generates local business
Adds value to the local economy

4. QUALITY OF PROJECT:

Demonstrates appropriate design and quality of proposed materials
Demonstrates the ability to achieve a successful project result (in terms of construction completion, business growth and/or economic development during the funding cycle).
Addresses structure of particular historic and/or architectural significance
Creates/expands public use of historic space
Creates visibility in the community
Alleviates or prevents endangerment of historic property

5. QUALITY OF PROJECT TEAM:

Demonstrates qualifications, track record, and ability of the applicant and professionals composing the Project team to successfully complete the Project.

6. PROMOTION OF HERITAGE TOURISM:

Creates heritage tourism impact
Is consistent with County’s Strategic Plan for Tourism Development
Enhances heritage tourism experience by visitors and residents
Utilizes other heritage tourism resources
Develops site-based (location specific) heritage tourism Project
Promotes or develops educational programs or materials for tourists
Enhances commercial use of existing historical resources
Increases community participation/accessibility to a larger number of users/visitors
Demonstrates educational or cultural value

7. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION;

Provides appropriate criteria and milestones for determining/measuring the success of the Project in achieving the business/implementation plan and schedule compliance.
Defines relevant outcome indicators and targets during and after the grant cycle (such as revenue generated, jobs creation, tourist visits, etc.)

B. NON-BUILDING PROJECTS

The following seven (7) review criteria shall be used by the Committee to evaluate all non-building projects. Each application will receive a score for each review criteria. Factors to be considered in awarding points for each criterion are provided.

1. PROMOTION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION:

Promotes historic preservation

2. LEVERAGING:

Applicant has the financial resources to fund the project costs pending receipt of reimbursements from the grant funds.
Leverages matching fund grant in terms of financing, expertise and networking
Demonstrates monetary leverage of County matching funds of 1:1 (or greater)
Demonstrates collaborative and synergistic approach, including with other preservation/heritage tourism or economic development projects

3. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IMPACT:

Demonstrates a well-thought out idea and model that has the potential to be sustainable and generate economic development
Uses local contractors
Uses local suppliers/materials
Generates local business
Adds value to the local economy

4. QUALITY OF PROJECT:

Demonstrates appropriate design and quality of proposed materials
Demonstrates the ability to achieve a successful project result (in terms of business growth and/or economic development).
Creates visibility in the community

5. QUALITY OF PROJECT TEAM:

Demonstrates qualifications, track record, and ability of the applicant and professionals composing the Project team to successfully complete the Project.

6. PROMOTION OF HERITAGE TOURISM:

Creates heritage tourism impact with existing historic resources
Is consistent with County’s Strategic Plan for Tourism Development
Enhances heritage tourism experience by visitors and residents
Utilizes other heritage tourism resources
Promotes or develops educational programs or materials for tourists
Enhances commercial use of existing historical resources
Increases community participation/accessibility to a larger number of users/visitors
Demonstrates educational or cultural value

7. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION;

Provides appropriate criteria and milestones for determining/measuring the success of the Project in achieving the business/implementation plan and schedule compliance
Defines relevant outcome indicators and targets during and after the grant cycle (such as website hits, tourist visits, etc.)

Funding Process after approval by the Committee and the BOCC

Applicants selected to receive matching grant funding will be required to enter into a formal Funding Agreement with the County specifying the dollar amount awarded, how outcomes will be measured, contract duration, the terms of funding and other Agreement terms. The applicant may retain one or more Project Contractors to carry out and complete the Project through competitive bidding. Prior to execution of the Funding Agreement, the Project budget must be verified by submission of multiple bids, an executed construction contract, or other suitable documentation confirming costs to complete the Project. For in-kind labor or materials, documentation must be furnished substantiating the estimated value of the any in-kind contribution. Depending on the size of the Project and grant award, the County will determine whether the grant award should be disbursed at the conclusion of the Project or whether payments should be made periodically based on agreed upon phasing of the Project.

Where applicable, payments may be made directly to the Project Contractor(s). Proper documentation of the Project expenses that are reasonable in amount and directly related to and necessary for completion of the Project will be required prior to disbursement, including appropriate contractor lien waivers.

For each progress payment (in the case of a phased project) or within thirty (30) days of the completion of the Project, the Grantee shall submit to the County a request for payment (or if completed, a Project Completion and Inspection Request form) together with applicable Project Invoices. It is the intent of the Program to disburse payment(s) upon receipt of an acceptable invoice and satisfactory inspection of the Project by authorized representative(s) of the County and all other local governmental agencies with jurisdiction over the Project, and verification that the Project has been completed according to the application submission, permits and approvals, and related Project documents, including certification of applicant’s supervising professionals (where applicable).

Upon approval of the Funding Agreement by the Board of County Commissioners, funds will be appropriated /committed for the Project approved. At final Project completion and closeout, any remaining unspent funds will be returned to the reserves of the Hillsborough County "Historic Preservation Challenge Grant" Program.

Ethics Policy

The Committee and Applicants shall act in accordance with the Department of Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual Policy HR-6.06.

Responsibility

It shall be the responsibility of the County Administrator or designated representative to manage this policy and ensure compliance with the above guideline and procedure.