The Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office announces that an historic buildings survey of Sarpy County will take place in the fall and spring of 2002-03.

The historic buildings survey will identify historic structures throughout the county, and its completion will assist citizens and elected officials of Sarpy County with planning, tourism promotion, and economic and community development. Additionally, the survey will serve as a new source of information about the historic development of the county.

The State Historic Preservation Office is planning to participate in several public forums to explain the nature and purpose of the survey, answer questions and solicit information from the citizens of Sarpy County. A "kickoff" public meeting will be held:

Wednesday, October 16, 2002
Sarpy County Historical Museum
2402 Clay Street
Bellevue, Nebraska
7:00pm

The meeting will consist of a presentation followed by an opportunity for questions and public input. Additionally, other programs administered by the Preservation Office will be briefly discussed, including the National Register of Historic Places, preservation income tax credits, and the Certified Local Government Program. Jill Ebers and Bill Callahan from the Preservation Office will be on hand, as well as the consultants hired to complete the survey: Christina Slattery and Mary Ebeling of Mead and Hunt, Inc.

The State Historic Preservation Office is requesting the assistance of Sarpy County residents for the historic buildings survey. Generally, the survey team will only examine properties visible from the public right-of-way. However, many historic rural properties are not accessible or visible from the public right-of-way. Additionally, many properties are not immediately identifiable as historically significant. In order to fully understand and identify historic resources, the survey team needs help from the local community. Bill Callahan, Preservation Office staff member, stated: "It's very important for our office to have as much public input into the survey process as possible. The survey is intended as a resource for the citizens of Sarpy County, and it's important that we hear from them in order to discover and study historic resources we would otherwise be unable to find or recognize." Callahan urges people to attend the public meeting and to tell friends and neighbors about the survey and the meeting.

The project is administered by the Nebraska State Historical Society's historic preservation office. Funding, in part, is provided by a federal grant from the U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Questions about the Sarpy County Historic Buildings Survey should be directed to Jill Ebers, Historic Buildings Survey Coordinator, or to Bill Callahan, Program Associate, by phoning toll-free 1-800-833-6747.