T.I.M.E.'s Facade Grant Program, Milton, Pennsylvania

T.I.M.E.'s Facade Grant Program

The Milton Main Street Program

The National Trust Main Street Center is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In the 1970s, the National Trust developed its pioneering Main Street approach to commercial district revitalization and is now in existence in over 1500 communities in 50 states. Milton was selected as a Main Street Community in 2004.

By recognizing the value and assets of older buildings, both singly and as a continuous historic fabric, the Main Street approach helps communities that are seeking to recapture a sense of history and create a more authentic small town environment.

The Main Street approach is designed to improve all aspects of downtown communities including economic development, public participation, marketing, investment in historic buildings, and invigorating old as well as new businesses.

Since historic preservation is a crucial component of the Milton Main Street Program, design issues and attention to detail are most important. Successful Main Street programs recognize the value of historic architecture as a first step in assisting the downtown to compete with other towns, regional malls and strip shopping centers.

The intent is to provide goods and services close to home and, in the process, to develop a strong sense of place and history that will restore economic health and vitality to our town.

Building facades play an important role in the appearance of the downtown. Storefronts, window displays, signage, color, canopies, and architectural details all come together and create a coherent visual pattern.

The Façade Grant Program

Façade grants through the TIME organization are intended to stimulate private investment in downtown Milton. The Program seeks to preserve and restore historic downtown architecture and to foster image-making improvements to all downtown commercial properties regardless of their historic significance.

Eligible Applicants

Any person(s) owning commercial property in Milton’s defined downtown historic area is eligible to apply. Qualifying commercial properties include single-purpose retail and office buildings and mixed-use buildings containing combinations of retail, office, and residential apartments. If you are a merchant located in Milton’s defined area, but do not own the property from which you operate, you may still be eligible with the property owner’s consent.

Single-purpose apartment buildings are generally not eligible for design grants. However, individual proposals will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Loans for single-purpose apartment buildings may be considered eligible if the applicant can demonstrate significant benefits to the preservation of historic structures, conservation, and improvement of neighborhoods, or community economic development. For larger buildings where more than one storefront exists within the same façade, each storefront may be eligible for Façade Grant funds. The facade is the part of the building facing the street or streets. It includes the entirety of the face of the building including upper floors which often retain their original appearance.

Projects must achieve visible results that enhance Milton’s downtown image, marketability, and economic vitality. Design Grants have the following specific objectives:

Assist with the preservation of historic commercial buildings and assure that such buildings are rehabilitated in a sensitive and appropriate
manner.
Bring substandard exterior building conditions into compliance with basic health, safety, and building codes and enhance the visual appeal of downtown businesses.
Reduce or eliminate vacancies in the core of downtown Milton, and promote the adaptive reuse of commercial buildings.

Grant applicants are encouraged, but not required, to use the services of design professionals. The Design Committee facilitates compliance with the required design standards by providing technical or design assistance to Grant applicants.

Terms of the Grant Award

TIME will award Façade Grants to eligible applicants who meet all criteria and provide all necessary information in the appropriate manner on a 50-50 matching basis.

Façade Grant money amounting up to $5000 can be obtained only once in 10 years for a single facade if funding for the Façade Grant Program is continued by the Main Street Program and Milton is a participating community.

The maximum Facade Grant that may be awarded is $5000 per facade for projects costing $10000 or more. Applicants may participate in more than one Façade Grant Program element, but the total grant award may not exceed $5000 per any single façade. Grants are made on a cost reimbursement basis, following a process of application, design review and approval, and construction.

Receipt of grant award is contingent upon submittal of approved construction cost invoices from bona fide contractors or tradesmen and compliance with Milton Borough codes and ordinances applicable to the project. Project work may not commence until the applicant/property owner receives a written notice from the Milton Main Street Manager indicating that the project may proceed under the Façade Grant program.

When the work is complete and reviewed by the TIME Design Committee, funds will be released to the property owner. All work must be completed upon a mutually agreed timetable, a schedule which may be extended by mutual agreement to accommodate reasonable delays and extraordinary circumstances.

Façade Grant Program - Eligible Projects

The total reimbursement per applicant will not exceed 50% of the total project cost up to the applicable maximum grant amounts described herein. Grant funds cannot be used to pay for work currently in progress or already completed.

Eligible projects and their reimbursable dollar amounts include the following:

FAÇADE GRANT TREATMENT

Architectural Elements/Windows/Doors - Funds are available for painting, rehabilitation, reglazing and reconditioning of existing windows (including display, ornamental, upper-story windows), doors and exterior shutters when they are original to the building. Grant funds will not be available for replacement of original windows, doors and exterior shutters or those elements when they are in character with the building, except when the windows are severely deteriorated and cannot be rehabilitated.
Grant Funds will be available for replacement of existing windows, doors and exterior shutters if they are not original and are out of character with the building. Maximum reimbursement: $3000.
Exterior Painting and Restoration - Funds are available for repair, cleaning, refinishing, painting, and restoration of exterior woodwork and trim, architectural sheet metal and/or decorative brick elements. This category includes exterior masonry repairs, restoration, painting (in the case of brick, only if originally painted), or low-pressure water or steam cleaning.

Roof and commercial cornices, parapets and other decorative elements may be repaired and reconditioned. Replacement of cornice and trim elements will be permitted when they are severely deteriorated and cannot be repaired. Missing decorative elements can be replaced utilizing extant examples found elsewhere on the building, period photographs, or, in the absence of both, examples of similar buildings in Milton. Roof repair or replacement is not fundable. Maximum Reimbursement: $3000.
Signs and Awnings - Funds are available for repair, or removal and replacement, of existing signage and awnings, as well as installation of new signage and awnings, provided none of the original sign panel(s) or signage are still intact, in which case original panels may be rehabilitated. New panels shall be installed within the original space reserved for that purpose or, in the absence of a sign panel or frieze, be mounted in a sensitive manner approved by the Design Committee. Lighting fixtures that directly illuminate a sign or provide area lighting under awnings are also eligible for assistance. Funds may also be used to purchase new awnings for front or rear building entrances. No funds are available for sidewalks or site amenities.Maximum Reimbursement: $1500.
Design Assistance - Funds are available for architectural, historical façade research and preservation and graphic design services. Reimbursement: $200-$750.

Reminder: Grant Funds limited to $5000 per façade. Limit of $5000 allowed for Multi-façade Grant for building.

Application, Selection & Reimbursement Process

All Applicants are required to meet with the T.I.M.E. Design Committee to discuss their project prior to completing the application process. Applications will be accepted for review at any time during the year. The awarding of grants is dependent upon funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) and on formal action by the T.I.M.E. Design Committee. An application may be found in the back of this guide-book.

Grants will be awarded based upon the level of improvement(s), the degree and/or accuracy of historic preservation and the impact the project will have on the downtown. The Main Street Manager will review the grant application to assure that all needed material is provided, as well as supporting documentation.

After initial review the grant application is submitted to the T.I.M.E. Design Committee to consider at their next scheduled meeting but no later than 30 days.
Applicants are required to meet all applicable codes and ordinances of the Borough of Milton relating to the project and to secure any necessary permit(s) from the Borough before work commences.
Applicants are required to submit a loan commitment letter or a letter from a financial institution or other acceptable proof of funds indicating that the Applicant has access to sufficient capital to complete the project.
Reimbursement to the project applicant and/or contractor(s) requires the following:
- Adherence to the design plan and/or project as submitted, reviewed and approved by the T.I.M.E. Design Committee;
- Pre-approval by the Design Committee of any changes of the work-in-progress;
- Completion of the project upon the mutually agreed upon time table, as amended, upon mutual agreement, to accommodate reasonable delays and extraordinary circumstances.
- Completion of final inspections, if required, by the Borough

Façade Grant Program Application Procedures

Meet with the Design Committee
- Bring a current photo of building
- Receive application
- Discuss intended plans
- Understand your property’s historic architecture
- Create a sketch of the work to be accomplished
- Design Committee volunteers will be assigned to help you with the project
Complete application
- Secure architect or design assistance, if required
- Submit estimate for work to be completed. T.I.M.E. reserves the right to require two (2) estimates for any particular project.
- Complete and sign all sections of the application
- Return application to Main Street Manager
Grant approval
- T.I.M.E. Design Committee will review application
- Committee will either approve for grant funding or refer questions or concerns to the property owner.
Meetings Required Prior to Execution
- The applicant/property owner and the contractor employed to do the Façade Grant renovation will be required to meet with T.I.M.E. Design Committee representatives prior to the start of the project.
- Meetings may include Milton Borough Code officer if nature of the work involves code compliance.
Execution of Project
- PLEASE NOTE: WORK CAN NOT BEGIN UNTIL YOU RECEIVE A WRITTEN NOTICE FROM THE MAIN STREET MANAGER INDICATING THAT THE PROJECT MAY PROCEED UNDER THE FAÇADE GRANT PROGRAM.
- Follow Secretary of Interiors Standards. If questions arise, refer them to your Design Committee project contacts.
- Participate in meetings with the applicant/property owner, the contractor and the T.I.M.E Design Committee representatives at each of 50% and 80% project completion.
Project Completion
- Once project is completed, send a full color “after” photo, copies of receipts and CANCELLED CHECK(s) to the T.I.M.E. Main
  Street Manager
- Within fifteen (15) days of receiving copies, T.I.M.E. will reimburse the property owner in accordance with the terms of the grant.
- Completed work must be in accordance with grant guidelines and the Secretary of Interior’s Standards to be eligible for reimbursement.

Design Standards

Project activities must conform to The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings.

The general standards are as follows. Applicants with more specific questions should refer to the Standards a copy of which is available for review at T.I.M.E.’s office located in downtown Milton.

A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
Each property shall be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings, shall not be undertaken
Most properties change over time; those changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved.
Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved.
Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities, and where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
Chemical or physical treatments, such as sandblasting, that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used. The surface cleaning of structures, if appropriate, shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible.
Significant archaeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved. If such resources must be disturbed, mitigation measures shall be undertaken.
New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.

Questions to be asked when considering a façade grant application are the following:

What changes, if any, are needed on the upper stories to improve the building’s appearance and integrity?
How do storefront improvements relate to the original upper stories of the building?
How can storefront improvements enhance the overall visual impact of the building?
How does the building relate to other structures in the vicinity, particularly those that flank the subject building?

Positive changes in the downtown business district by promoting and sustaining local economic vitality through support and encouragement of cooperation between Milton businesses, groups and organizations, raising awareness of and encouraging preservation of Milton's historical architecture and creating an inviting and vibrant profile of community sponsored and supported events and programs.