An effort that began six years ago in the City of Newton has come to a successful conclusion. Fred Chebot is chair of the Newton Historic Preservation Commission. He announced at Monday night’s city council meeting that Newton’s downtown has been approved to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Chebot says the designation will greatly benefit downtown property owners with architectural details that have been preserved from the 1960s. “Those property owners become eligible for one-to-one matching grants from the federal government, as well as state and federal tax credits, all applying to costs related to the restoration and preservation of those properties within the district,” Chebot said.
There are 87 properties in Newton’s downtown historic preservation district, according to Chebot.
(Reporting by Randy Van, KCOB, Newton)