Every plan needs goals, because
goals are the desired end results that the plan should help pave a way toward
achieving. The York County Historic
Preservation Plan has six goals that are based on preservation planning
guidance provided by the Pennsylvania Historic & Museum Commission and
refined through talking with our Steering Committee members.
These goals are:
- Identify, protect, and promote York County’s unique
historic and cultural resources – the communities, landscapes, buildings
and traditions – that make up the fabric of the York County
landscape.
Knowing
the location and extent of the County’s historic and cultural resources will
allow the County to better protect and promote them. There are quite a few existing historic
resource inventories of varying age and quality out there. It is important that we figure out how useful
these inventories will be moving forward.
This Plan will also look at ways to support the many individuals and
groups who already work toward this goal, and look for gaps in existing preservation
activities.
- Create a simple and realistic set of indicators that
will pinpoint the most valuable historic resources, and also the historic
resources most in danger. Indicators
and critical areas will help target the limited and changing financial
resources that are available to implement preservation goals.
Funding
for historic preservation is decreasing in both the public and private
spheres. That means it is important that
decision makers have a straightforward way to evaluate historic resources. This Plan will also identify geographic areas
where historic and cultural resources are under pressure, places where
unprotected resources may be lost quickly.
- Promote coordination and consensus in the conservation
of historic and cultural resources across the public, private, and
non-profit sectors.
York
County is fortunate to be home to a large number of local preservation and
historical groups. When private groups,
non-profit groups, and governmental bodies coordinate their priorities and
activities, the entire community benefits.
- Link conservation and preservation of historic and cultural resources to economic opportunity, sustainability, and revitalization of York County's towns, villages, and rural landscapes.
Historic
preservation works best when it contributes to the economic vitality of
communities, the sustainability of landscapes, and the quality of life of
residents. Preservation for
preservation’s sake is a legitimate activity, but gaining full community
support requires that preservation helps to build better communities.
- Create a catalog of historic preservation tools and resources that local municipalities can reference.
This
Plan will be a resource for York County’s local governments. Many of these municipalities find themselves
in a reactive mode when a local historic resource is threatened, searching for
solutions when time is of the essence.
This Plan will include a wide variety of preservation tools and
resources that can be used proactively by municipalities countywide, including
regulatory measures, public and private preservation groups that operate
locally, and educational opportunities.
- Educate citizens about their heritage, its value, and the variety of tools available for protecting historic and cultural resources.
An involved public results in a
stronger Plan. However, it is often hard
to involve residents in historic preservation unless and until a nearby or
high-profile resource is in danger.
Citizens who understand that preservation is not just saying “No,” but
is instead a way to blend the past into the present, and who understand that it
is an economic development tool and a significant contributor to quality of life,
are citizens who will become involved with their local historic and cultural
resources in a variety of ways.
