78 ~~ August 23, 1978 More information on the Historic District Two weeks ago the Sus- quehanna Times ran an article about the new historic district in Marietta and what it means. This week we present a followup to that article based on material sent to us by the state Historical and Mu- seum Commission. First, here’s how to find out if you are in the district and National Register: write to the Executive Director, Pennsylvania His- torical and Museum Com- mission, P.O. Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17120. (This is also the person to whom we refer below as your State Historic Preser- vation Officer, or SHPO.) We now present some of the major financial and legal aspects of the Historic District: federally insured residential improvement loans, tax changes for businesses, grants-in-aid, and other matters. RESIDENTIAL IMPROVEMENT LOANS The owner of any resi- dential building within the District, whether or not “‘historic,”’ is eligible for a federally-insured Historic Preservation Loan. Almost any improvement or preser- vation work that doesn’t tend to destroy the historic nature of Marietta’s district has a chance at up to a $45,000 loan. The procedure is this: go to any FHA-approved bank (or other lending institu- tion) and tell them you want an Historic Preserva- tion Loan. They will give you form FH-1 (HP) and a copy of ‘‘Guidlines for ehabilitating Old Build- ings.”” If your home im-- provement plans fit the guidlines, fill out the form and mail it to your SHPO along with $25. You must include photos of the building, and the parts of the building you intend to work on. The SHPO will, within 45 days, either: (1) approve your ideas; (2) approve them conditionally; (3) not comment; or (4) disapprove them. If 1 or 2 happens, you will get the loan, or get it after agreeing to the suggested changes. If 3 happens, you get the loan and your $25 back. If 4 happens, you lose out all around. The maximum term of such loans is 15 years. Interest will be at the normal rate. WHAT ABOUT FLOOD INSURANCE? To encourage the rehab- ilitation of historic areas in flood plains—such as Mari- etta—the national flood insurance law was changed to exempt some loans involving properties in the National Register, includ- ing those within an Historic District. Exempt loans are those: (1) used to buy a residen- tial structure (lived in before March 1, 1976); (2) a loan to buy a small business’s building (up to a certain limited amount); (3) home improvement loans up to $5000. TAX BREAKS FOR BUSINESSMEN If you are buying, fixing up, or destroying a build- ing used for business purposes (including rentals) you should know about tax changes that will affect you if your building is in the District. SUSQUEHANNA TIMES—Page $ The changes are aimed at preserving historic struc- tures. The law concerns only ‘‘certified historic structures,’”’ which may or may not be located in an historic district, and not all buildings in a district are necessarily historic. In buying or fixing up an historic depreciable proper- ty, you get to deduct your [continued on page 7] ur Long Distance THE UNITED TELEPHONE [i= COMPANY OF PENNSYLVANIA = United Telephone System nT Special... N\ More Miles High travel costs keeping you out of touch? Think long distance. Our high-performance telephones come in a wide variety of styles and colors. And long distance means more (s)miles per penny. So why don’t you slide up and get comfortable behind the dial? Then. ring a smile from someone you miss. Long Distance. A great way to travel.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers