Annual Achievements Report for States

OMB Control Number 1024-0038

Expiration Date: XX/XX/2014

National Park Service

Heritage Preservation Assistance Programs

Historic Preservation Grants Division

Annual Achievements Report for States

STATE: ______________________________ TELEPHONE: ________________________

CONTACT FOR THIS FORM: ______________________________ E-MAIL: ________________________

FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR: 20XX (October 1, 20XX – September 30, 20XX)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Please read “Guidance for Completing the National Park Service Annual Products Report for States.” This guidance defines terms, explains what to count, answers frequently asked questions, etc.

1. State Register Program

During the reporting period, in addition to your State inventory, did your State

have a list of designated historic properties (such as a State register of

historic places)? Yes No

1. If the answer to question 1a is “No,” please leave question 1b’s blank empty and

proceed to question 2a. If the answer is “Yes,” then during the reporting period,

how many historic properties did your State add to your State register? _______

2. State Tax Incentives Program

1. During the reporting period, did your State have a State historic preservation tax

incentives program that includes your office in some level of review or oversight?

Yes No

2. If the answer to question 2a is “No,” please leave question 2b’s blank empty and

proceed to question 3a. If the answer is “Yes,” then during the reporting period,

how many historic properties did your State assist through your State’s historic

preservation tax incentives program? _______

3. State “Bricks and Mortar” Grant or Loan Program

a. During the reporting period, did your State have a State government-funded

(i.e., not Federal or matching share-funded) historic preservation grant or loan

program that is run through, administered, or reviewed by your office? Yes No

b. If the answer to question 3a is “No,” please leave question 3b’s blank empty and

proceed to question 4a. If the answer is “Yes,” then during the reporting period,

how many historic properties did your State assist through your State-funded

historic preservation grant or loan? _______

(Continued on next page)

STATE: _________________________

(Continued from the previous page)

4. State Regulatory Program

1. During the reporting period, did your State have a State law or laws that protect

historic properties through a regulatory review and compliance process (for

example a State-level review of State government undertakings) and that involve

your office in some level of review or oversight? Yes No

b. If the answer to question 4a is “No,” please leave question 4b’s blank empty and

proceed to question 5a. If the answer is “Yes,” then during the reporting period,

how many historic properties did your State review for compliance with your

State’s historic preservation regulatory law(s)? _______

5. State Property Acquisition Program

1. During the reporting period, did your State have a program to acquire (or help to

acquire) historic properties in whole or in part through purchase, donation, or

other means? Yes No

2. If the answer to question 5a is “No,” please leave question 6b’s blank empty. You

have finished the Annual Report. If the answer is “Yes,” then during the reporting

period, how many historic properties did your local government acquire (or help

to acquire) in whole or in part through purchase, donation, or other means? _______

Notes/Comments:

Thank you for filling out this form. Please send it, no later than January XX, 20XX, to:

Historic Preservation Grants Division Attention: John Renaud

Heritage Preservation Assistance Programs

National Park Service

1201 Eye Street NW (Organization Code 2256)

Washington, DC 20005

Alternatively, feel free to send the report to John Renaud by fax at 202-371-1794 or by e-mail at [email protected]. If you want an electronic (Word) version of this format and accompanying guidance, please contact John by e-mail. If you have any questions, please contact John by telephone at 202-354-2066, by fax, or by e-mail.

Because of its long-term uses, it will never be too late to provide this report’s information.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement. The National Park Service collects the information as part of the process for reviewing the procedures and programs of State, tribal, and local governments participating in the national historic preservation program and the Historic Preservation Fund grant program. The information will be used to evaluate those programs and procedures for consistency with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.) and compliance with governmentwide grant requirements. Your response is required to obtain or retain a benefit under these programs. A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number.

The NPS provides no assurance of confidentiality to respondents with the exception of some location information concerning some properties included in government historic preservation property inventories. Pursuant to Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, release of information is tightly controlled when such release could have the potential of damaging those qualities that make a property historic.

Estimated Burden Statement: The public reporting burden for the collection of this information is estimated to average 2.22 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Chief, Historic Preservation Grants, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW. (Org Code 2256), Washington, DC 20240.

OMB Control Number 1024-0038

Expiration Date: XX/XX/2014

National Park Service

Heritage Preservation Assistance Programs

Historic Preservation Grants Division

GUIDANCE FOR COMPLETING

THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ANNUAL ACHIEVEMENTS REPORT

FOR STATES

1. What is the purpose of this report?

The data that you provide each year contribute to documenting those achievements of the national historic preservation partnership that States accomplish under State law. The data that we request all relate to key program elements for each State historic preservation program; i.e., the designation and protection of historic and prehistoric properties. This report focuses on State accomplishments under State laws and programs. We have information from other sources concerning State contributions to historic preservation under Federal law and programs. This report’s data provide critical information and documentation for the Administration’s and the Congress’ budgetary decision-making process under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). The results of each year's report are currently available on spreadsheets. On a long-term basis, we plan to post on the web the results of the report. In this way, we can share information about your program and achievements with your colleagues and with the public. We also expect that this information will be useful to you. This information can be helpful in explaining to your decision-makers some of what you have accomplished for historic preservation during the year.

2. Are there any definitions or special instructions that I need to know to properly complete this form?

“Historic Property” means a property that, regardless of government action (i.e., whether it is listed or not), meets the eligibility criteria for listing in your State register or for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. A historic property can include archeological as well as above-ground resources. Other properties are outside the purview of this questionnaire. In some States, this term is equivalent to “historic resource,” “historic landmark,” or some other similar term.

“Designation” as used in this document means that the State government has officially identified the property as historic. Many States have two levels of designation. That is, one level of designation is an evaluation of significance that carries no consequences (e.g., the State inventory). The other level of designation carries consequences such as eligibility for benefits or some level of protection. States often refer to this level of designation as the “State register,” the “State landmarks list,” etc.

“Protection” as used in this document means that because of government action, a historic property retains those elements that make the property historic.

The “Federal fiscal year” begins on October 1 and ends the following September 30. If your State government operates on a different time frame for its fiscal year, please convert your yearly product totals to the Federal time frame. If your yearly product totals do not lend themselves to conversion to the Federal fiscal year, please provide your best estimates based on prorating the product totals or using another method. For example, if your government’s Fiscal Year 2009 began on July 1, 2008, and ended on June 30, 2009, three months (or 25 percent) of the year fall in Federal Fiscal Year 2008 and 9 months (or 75 percent) fall in Federal Fiscal Year 2009. Consequently, you would report 25 percent of your State FY 2009 totals as a part of the FY 2008 GPRA Annual Report and 75 percent in the FY 2009 GPRA Annual Report.

For questions 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, and 5a, please fill in each blank with a “Yes” or a “No.” If the program existed at any time during the reporting period, please answer “Yes,” even if the program no longer existed by September 30^th

If your State offered the program during the reporting period, please fill in each blank for questions 1b, 2b, 3b, 4b, and 5b with a number. Insert “0” if the subject matter applies, but there was no activity during the last completed Federal fiscal year.

If the subject matter does not apply to your State government’s historic preservation programs (i.e., you answered “No” to the “did you have the program” question, leave the related “historic properties” question’s blank empty. For example, you should leave the blank empty for question 2b if your government does not have a State government preservation tax incentives program and you answered “No” for question 2a.

For every State program for which you entered a “No” in question 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, or 5a, we would expect to see an empty blank in question 1b, 2b, 3b, 4b, or 5b. Conversely, if you entered a “Yes” for any “did you have a program” question, we would expect to see a number in the corresponding “how many properties” question. For the “how many properties” questions, do not use a check, an “X”, or words such as “same as last year,” “several,” or “unknown.” If you are not sure what the correct answer is, please make your best estimate.

If you wish to, please feel free to use the “Comments/Notes” section to explain your answers, paradoxes, or anomalies. For example, it would be very unusual for a State’s accomplishments to merit identical, large numbers as the answer for multiple questions. Similarly, if a very large number is the answer for a question, it would be a good idea to explain the accomplishment in the “Comments/Notes” section. Thus, NPS will feel confident that the large number is not a typo and, more importantly, such information might merit explicit mention in a State/NPS narrative report. Also feel free to use the “Comments/Notes” section to identify noteworthy accomplishments even if they are not large.

3. How do I report on historic properties whose protection is not carried out or monitored by my office?

You don’t have to. For the purposes of this inquiry, report only on those historic properties whose designation or protection has involved your office in some way; e.g., through review, approval, project administration, covenant or easement oversight, etc. or for which your office has the data.

4. How should I count historic districts?

Do not count a district as a single property. Count the total number of buildings, structures, sites, or objects that contribute to the significance of the district. If you do not know the number of contributing properties, please provide your best estimate of the number.

5. We don’t use the same terminology that appears on the form and in this guidance. Do we have to change how we refer to things?

That decision is your choice. A national report needs to use national terms that follow Federal statutes and policy. For your own purposes, you should use terms that make sense to you. All we ask is that you know how your terms relate to the national terms because we won’t understand the relationship. Therefore, for this report please make the conversion from your terminology to the national terminology.

6. We don’t have anything called a “State register,” but we do have other lists of historic properties created under State law. Should I count those? Should I count the properties in the State inventory?

Do not report on the State inventory. That is a Federal requirement and you already provide us information on the inventory. Do report on other lists created under State law as long as you can count the number of historic properties. We are asking for information on the designation of a property or properties as “historic.” Usually, but not always, when a historic property is added to a State register, the property receives some level of protection under State law and/or becomes eligible for some sort of State government benefits. Because of the consequences under State law that often attend being added to a State register, normally a State will have more historic properties in its State inventory than it has on its State register. The annual additions to each will vary.

7. Last year, due to demolition, we had to remove some properties from our State register. Do you want us to adjust our annual figures for the State register to reflect those losses?

No. Just report the number of historic properties newly added to your State register. We don't want to have your successes obscured by your losses. However, if you have readily available an estimate of the number of properties removed during the year, feel free to give us that information in a footnote or parentheses. In such a situation, it would also be helpful to provide updated cumulative baseline figures in the following year. For example, the impact of properties demolished during FY 2009 would be reflected in adjusted cumulative baseline figures in the FY 2008 Cumulative Baseline Questionnaire.

8. Some historic properties are protected more than once (e.g., tax benefits achieved and permits reviewed). Should I count a property only once or each time that it is reviewed, receives a grant, etc.?

Count a property each time that it is reviewed, receives a grant, etc. This approach gives you credit for all the protection that you give to a historic property, not just the initial instance. Note that for this reporting you do not have to know what happened to each historic property. What you need to know for this report are total figures for each category; i.e., the total number of properties listed, receiving tax benefits, etc.

9. For some of our State programs, the main purpose is not historic preservation, but the programs protect historic properties as an incidental consequence. Housing programs are a good example. Should I count historic properties that are protected by those programs?

Yes. As long as historic properties are protected and your office is involved or has the data, count the properties protected by those programs.

10. Our historic preservation financial assistance programs (grants, loans, etc.) are not funded every year. Should I report on the historic properties protected by the program?

Answer “Yes” to question 3a and report on the number of properties in the “grant or loan” blank (question 3b) of the form, if the State statute authorizing the financial assistance was still in effect during some portion of the reporting year. If the authorizing statute was not in effect at all during the reporting year, and your State requires an authorizing statute for grant programs, answer “No” to question 3a and leave question 3b’s blank empty.

If no authorizing statute was involved in the financial assistance program, answer “Yes” to question 3a and fill question 3b’s blank with the number of newly protected properties if the financial assistance program was in effect during the reporting year. Otherwise, leave the blank empty.

For the purposes of the local historic preservation grant or loan blank, count a historic property if preservation work (a.k.a. “bricks and mortar”) is involved. Report elsewhere (e.g., under Acquisition) those properties that your local grants or loans assisted in other ways (e.g., to help a nonprofit organization purchase a preservation easement).

11. We administer some grants from the Federal Government and our staff helps CLGs with some locally-funded programs when they need our expertise. How should I treat these situations in completing the report?

Count only properties protected through grants supported by funds coming from State government sources. Do not count grants from Federal (or matching) funds administered by State or local agencies (e.g., Historic Preservation Fund grants). Do not count locally-funded programs for which you provide technical assistance. These are counted elsewhere. However, if the funds are from State sources, count the benefiting historic properties on this form.

12. Many of our historic preservation accomplishments are achieved through the financial support of the private sector or through non-profit organizations such as the National Trust’s Main Street program. Should we include these achievements in our reporting on the number of historic properties that we protect through grants or loans?

No. Although we recognize that a large percentage of current historic preservation would not take place without the financial support of non-profit organizations and the private sector, this report focuses on the achievements of government historic preservation programs.

13. What should I count in the “State regulatory programs” blank for question 4b?

For the purposes of the “State regulatory program(s)” blank, include only properties for which State law provided historic preservation protection in a regulatory setting; e.g., through a review or permitting process. Do not count (in this blank) historic properties that State laws have protected through financial incentives (e.g., tax laws) or financial assistance (e.g., grants programs). Report that information elsewhere on the form.

14. Sometimes we review requests for demolition or make other decisions/recommendations that do not result in the protection of properties. These reviews are a legitimate part of our workload. Should we count these for question 4b?

No. If it is easy for you to separate those reviews/recommendations that are likely to result in a historic property's destruction or loss of significance, don't include them in this report. We are trying to get an estimate of the number of historic property reviews where preservation is a likely result. If it is difficult to separate your regulatory reviews by result, don't worry -- just give us your total figures.

15. What does “Acquisition” include?

Acquisition refers to any legally-binding, title-related interest in the historic property that the State government has obtained (or helped others to obtain) thereby making the property subject to State historic preservation laws and policies. The interest in the property’s title could be anything ranging from fee simple absolute to an easement. The method of acquisition is not important here. Include in your count any historic property that comes into State government ownership.

16. Where do I report publications, brochures, public education, site interpretation, historic plaques and markers, and our other historic preservation accomplishments?

These are not part of this report. While important, for GPRA purposes we have limited the products to those that more directly affect specific historic properties. This reduces the burden in gathering and reporting this data. However, you may include your other accomplishments as part of your End-of-Year Report or, if you wish, send the information directly to us.

17. What should I do if my office missed a report or we discover that we made a mistake in an earlier report?

Because of the long-term uses for this information, it will never be too late to provide this report’s information. We hope that you take advantage of opportunities to update the information that we have about your program. You have a choice as to how to accomplish this. You may either provide/correct the earlier report or you may prepare a new cumulative baseline report for a more recent year. For example, if your office has not responded to any of the questionnaires or reports, you would have the following options. Your first option is to prepare and send us a FY 1997 cumulative baseline response plus an annual report for FY 1998, FY 1999, FY 2000, FY 2001, FY 2002, FY 2003, FY 2004,

FY 2005, FY 2006, FY 2007, FY 2008, and FY 2009. You can use this year’s forms by changing the dates. Your second option is to provide questionnaire answers and baseline data through FY 2008 plus the annual report for FY 2009. We have prepared the baseline form for data cumulative through

FY 2008.

18. The questions that you ask relate primarily to workload. Wouldn't it be better to ask how many of our historic properties are still in good condition? In the final analysis, preserving our irreplaceable resources is the true test of our success as historic preservationists.

If funding and staffing were no object, we would want both workload information and data on the condition of historic resources. One of the aims of this report is to make use of readily available information rather than to create a new workload in gathering and tracking data. For most States, data on the condition of historic and prehistoric properties are not readily available. Another purpose of this report is to gauge the contribution that States make to historic preservation. In assessing a property's condition, without asking the property owner it is difficult to distinguish which parts (if any) of a property's good condition are due to local, State, and/or Federal historic preservation program efforts. State Historic Preservation Office workload data on the other hand usually is readily available, readily assignable to State efforts, and can be used to draw reasonable inferences about the condition of properties.

19. In the categories that you ask about, we have done nothing (or very little). Do you want us to send you a report with such low numbers?

Your report is valuable to us no matter how little you have to report. The Annual Report only asks five questions involving numbers. Many States respond to the questions by answering "0" or "1." We make no judgements of the quality of your program based upon the numbers that you supply in your annual reports. Don't worry about not having much to report for a given year. We recognize that the categories that we ask about do not cover all of the State Historic Preservation Office’s activities.

Small State Historic Preservation Offices with not much action in the categories that the National Park Service asks about are just as important as big State Historic Preservation Offices with a lot of action. Each year, roughly half of the 59 States respond to the annual report. We then extrapolate the figures from the reporting States to produce national estimates for all States. Thus, the more States that report, the more accurate the projections will be. Given that there are as many States with little activity in the requested categories as there are States with a lot of activity, it is important that as many States with little activity report as possible; otherwise our national projections will be way too high.

20. Do we have to use the form that NPS has provided?

No. We care more about the content of the data that you provide than we care about the format in which you provide it or the medium by which you transmit it to us. As long as NPS can clearly tell which data relates to which question on the form and you provide information corresponding to every blank on the form, we are satisfied. E-mail messages, spread sheets, State report pages, etc. are all acceptable.