3/2/13 - Volunteers are being sought to help with the creation and maintenance of a historic district to protect the Howell Opera House. The cityâs downtown development authority is working on the creation of the district, which would allow for greater control of the building and open up avenues for grant money into the city. Intern Lindsey Wooten chairs the historic district study committee, which she says is in the final review process for its report on the state of the Opera House. That report will soon be submitted to the state preservation office for review and input. She tells WHMI that in the meantime, Howell residents with historic or architectural knowledge are being sought to serve on the Howell Opera House Local Historic District Commission once the district is established. Those commissioners will be the review board for any potential exterior changes to the Opera House, as directed by an as-yet-undrafted ordinance outlining the design guidelines for the building. A public hearing on the creation of the historic district will take place on March 6th at the regular meeting of the Howell City Council. Wooten says the commissioners will likely be appointed and the district created at that meeting. The next study committee meeting will take place on March 21st at 6:00pm at the DDA office. (TD)
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