Granting a plea to make a historic preservation planner a full-time position in Longmont would be an ideal gift for the city as it prepares to celebrate its 150th birthday, a community advocate said Tuesday.
Sharon O’Leary’s birthday wish, however, is unlikely to be granted, according to a city official.
O’Leary, co-chair of the Historic Eastside Neighborhood Association, on Tuesday lobbied city council to make historic preservation a top priority in 2021, which marks 150 years since Longmont’s founding.
A full-time planner would be a key fixture in preservation efforts, O’Leary told the council during the virtual public invited to be heard segment of Tuesday’s council meeting.
The planner could update the city’s preservation files and review architectural suggestions for historic buildings, O’Leary said.
The Historic Eastside Neighborhood Association — and other groups like it — “Are a reflection of Longmont’s beginnings,” O’Leary said. A fulltime preservation planner would help get Longmont’s historic homes the preservation status they deserve, she said.
O’Leary’s suggestion was heard but fiscal constraints, mostly brought on by COVID-19, make the hiring of a full-time preservation planner unlikely, Joni Marsh, assistant city manager, stated in an email.
The city’s historic preservation planner has been a half-time position in the 20 years Marsh has been in the department, she stated.
“We have, at times, been able to have someone working up to three-quarter time as well depending on workload in all areas of planning,” Marsh stated.
The previous preservation planner left the city in late 2019. Currently, Jade Krueger has taken over the preservation position and is splitting time between preservation planning and long-range planning, Marsh stated.
At the start of 2020, the planning department had four vacancies — planning director, senior planner, planner technician and an environmental planner position, Marsh added. All four slots were frozen due to the pandemic, she stated. The city recently hired Glen Van Nimwegen as the new planning director.
“We are currently working to get fully staffed again,” Marsh stated. “At this time, there is no funding in the 2021 budget for a full-time (historic preservation planner) position.”
Council on Tuesday did unanimously vote to designate the James and Francis Wiggins house at 534 Emery St. as a local historic landmark.
The house was built in 1902 and is affiliated with a master builder in Longmont’s history, James Wiggins, according to a staff report.
Correction: Jade Krueger's name was misspelled in the original posting of this story.
