If there's strength in numbers, historic preservation advocates fortified their cause last week.
The Ketchum Historic Preservation Commission held a joint meeting with the Ketchum-Sun Valley Historical Society Wednesday, Feb. 8.
"We're here to develop commission goals and joint efforts between the society and our commission," said Commission Chairman Jim Ruscitto.
"We're very interested in working with you on ... projects," said Betty Murphy, president of the Historical Society, which manages the Ketchum-Sun Valley Heritage and Ski Museum at Forest Service Park in Ketchum. "Other than running the museum, historic preservation is one of our main goals."
Murphy and society member Anne Zauner suggested a joint effort among other museums in the county.
"If we don't as a group look for ways to cooperate as a county, we're never going to get very far with fund raising," Zauner said.
Commissioners went through a list of accomplishments since the body's inception in March 2004.
Proposed amendments to Ketchum's demolition ordinance are making their way through City Hall.
Planned changes include requiring a 60-day waiting period and public notification prior to the demolition of a historic structure. Preservationists or any member of the public would then have time to try to find a way to buy or move the building before it's demolished.
Non-historic buildings to be demolished wouldn't require a waiting period, but owners would have to enter into a security agreement with the city, requiring them to bond for 150 percent of costs to clean up the site after demolition.
"It gives people a chance to be proactive, rather than reactive," Ruscitto said.
The commission suggested the changes, but City Council members opted to make the ordinance all-encompassing rather than applying only to historical structures.
Another accomplishment Ruscitto cited is the acquisition of a certified local government grant that allowed the commission to pay for a "windshield survey" of historic buildings and sites in Ketchum.
Results of that survey, including hundreds of photos, are available through the Ketchum Planning Department.
A plaque program was also revived, which would bring about greater public awareness of local history, according to Ruscitto.
The plaques are for public information only; they don't obligate the property owner to anything.
More than a dozen property owners initially expressed interest in the plaques, but half bowed out once notified of the $300 charge, Ruscitto said.
The commission will wait until it has 10 interested parties before placing an order.
An updated walking tour of historic sites in Ketchum is also underway, in partnership with the Historical Society.
Historic preservation advocates and city staff are working with economic development consultant Tom Hudson to infuse historical awareness in the city.
"We want to identify our history because it's not a real presence in our town right now," said Ketchum City Planner Stefanie Webster, liaison to the commission.
