In a message dated 10/27/1999 5:52:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> Nobody--on the good side, anyway--seems to have much teeth these
>  days.  I was hoping the SHPO might give her guidance, refer her to a lawyer
>  who knows this stuff, or be able to give her some sort of help in what
> sounds
>  like a lousy situation.

It's just really hard because local governments (for the most part) are the
ones that carry the ball for regulating historic preservation of privately
owned property. Which is usually the stickiest, messiest part of the whole
deal. And the local governments are often the least well-equipt, in terms of
staffing and legal expertise, to deal with the issues that crop up.

Of course, keeping the regulation at the local level is key, but it is really
hard, especially when the legislative process becomes more about politics and
personality than about planning. Our commission has really had to work at
learning the rules from the ground up. And of course the Planning Board
thinks the group is completely insane. And of course they think that Planning
Board are all ratable whores. It's just so cozy.

-Warm 'n fuzzy