September 15, 2015 – The Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission has assisted Callaway, Cole and Howard Counties with grant applications for Round 5 of the Missouri Heritage Properties Program. The grant program was established by the Department of Natural Resources to assist in the preservation of historic buildings in public, governmental ownership.

Grant awards in Round 5 consist of planning grants or construction activities aimed at the long term preservation of Missouri’s historic courthouses. Eligible buildings must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places either individually or as a contributing building in a National Register Historic District. In this round, grants will be funded at a 70/30 ratio with the grant providing 70% of the project costs and the applicant responsible for 30% of the project cost. The Construction grants were limited to $100,000 per project and Planning grants to $25,000.

Callaway County has applied for funds to assist with the cost of repairing and restoring cast iron window spandrels and large exterior ornamental iron grid panels at courthouse entrances. Both are key architectural elements of the 1938 Art Deco courthouse. Estimated cost of the repairs is $19,500.

Cole County’s application is to replace older leaking courthouse windows on the south and east elevations at an estimated cost of $342,400. Replacing the west and north elevation windows will be a future project with an estimated cost of $304,700.Howard County is requesting assistance with the purchasing of 108 storm windows on the first and second floor of the courthouse. The storm windows will provide protection of the wood window sills and increase the overall energy efficiency of the building. The total projected cost is $56,753.

Completed grant applications were due to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) on Friday, September 11, 2015. Applications will be scored based on the proposed project’s contribution to Missouri’s statewide preservation priorities and the technical quality of the application. It is anticipated that notification as to whether a project is recommended for funding will be given to applicants in December.