Supporting History

Changes Revitalize the State Historical Fund

March, 2001

As hard as it may be to believe, the State Historical Fund is now ten years old. Created in 1990 by passage of a constitutional amendment legalizing limited stakes gaming, the necessary statutory authority followed in 1991, and the first grants were made in 1992.

The Colorado Historical Society has administered this program with a cautious eye toward the volatility of the gaming industry. Revenues depend on a variety of factors, none of which are within the Society's control, including weather, tourism, industry policies, politics, and gaming tax levels. With the ultimate goal of supporting great preservation projects throughout Colorado, the Society has kept administrative costs to a minimum. In the last fiscal year, only 4.4% of the statewide portion of the Fund was used to support the direct administration of the Fund. Staffing levels have been stable for five years, despite substantial increases in gaming revenues in the same period. But projects have become more complex, the average grant award has increased, and projects are not closing out as quickly as new projects are awarded. In the last fiscal year, there were more than 725 active Fund projects. And only four Preservation Specialists are available to insure that they are completed according to appropriate standards.

The Colorado Historical Society's Board of Directors recently reviewed these and other statistics, and determined that reorganization and additional staffing are warranted. The Fund staff will be organized into three units, each handling a distinct aspect of the grants process. The Public Outreach Coordinator will oversee the applications function, the Contracts Officer will oversee the contracting function, and the Preservation Projects Manager will supervise five full-time Preservation Specialists, expanding the number of staff members in this area from four to six. These changes will permit us to respond more quickly to customer inquiries, to review deliverables within the thirty days provided, and to allow more time for site visits.

The Public Outreach Coordinator will supervise two Technical Advisors and a Public Outreach Assistant, who will provide public relations support to the Fund and its partners. The additional Technical Advisor position is intended to permit the Fund to become more proactive in seeking good projects that help us to satisfy the goals of Colorado Preservation 2005, the statewide historic preservation plan. It should also permit us to provide better customer service in reviewing draft grant applications.

Mike Lucki, formerly Administrative Assistant in the applications end of the program, will become Office Manager, supervising grant application processing, office reception functions, and a new data entry position. These positions will be housed in our current offices at 225 E. 16th Avenue, Suite 260.

It will take some time to create and fill these positions. And there is always a learning curve, so please have patience. With the skipping of the April grant round, there will not be another application deadline until October 1. And by summer, SHF will again be at full staff and ready to provide the quality advice and support you have come to expect of America's largest historic preservation grants program. In the meantime, if you have questions or concerns about these changes, please don't hesitate to contact our offices at 303/866-2825.

BY MARK WOLFE, Director, State Historical Fund