This is a Sample of a Typical SHPO Letter.
Date
Name, Director
State Historic Preservation Office
Addresss
City, State Zip
Subject: Request for information about proposed FEMA project; Pre-Disaster Mitigation Competitive (PDM-C) Program, in the Town of Blackrock, Seneca County, State
Dear Director:
The City of Blackrock has applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a grant under FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation-Competitive (PDM-C) program. PDM-C grants provide funding for measures designed to reduce or eliminate future disaster damage and disaster relief expenditures. The Town of Blackrock proposes to make stream improvements including channel straightening and stream bank armoring along Seneca Creek to alleviate flooding damage to Blackrock Road and the bridge over Seneca Creek. The project area is located next to Blackrock Road where it crosses Seneca Creek (see attached map).
One of the requirements for the FEMA PDM-C application is to identify the presence of any regulated resources in the project area. At this time, the city of Blackrock would like to inquire about the potential for nearby historic structures or archeological sites. Attached to this correspondence is a USGS map indicating the project area, pictures showing the project site and the nearby structures, and a narrative describing the proposed scope of work.
The proposed project involves straightening about 800 linear feet (lf) of the channel of Seneca Creek west of the bridge over Seneca Creek. This would require excavating the existing bank between 0 and 30 feet to the south to allow the stream to follow a straighter path. The excavated bank would be lined with rip-rap to protect it from future erosion. The second element of the project is upstream of the bridge over Seneca Creek, and involves the placement of rip-rap armor on about 400 lf of the north side of the stream (see photos).
Adjacent to the project site is Blackrock Mill. It is said that this structure was built in the 1820s, but it has been abandoned and out of use since the early 1900s. Since then it has fallen into serious disrepair; it no longer has any windows or doors, and it has been without a roof for over 50 years. The current landowner is repairing the mill for his personal use. The owner of the Mill lives about 200 feet up the hill in a house constructed in the 1850s. According to the owner, the 2-story house used to have clapboard siding, but has since been upgraded to vinyl siding. There are also new windows and additions on the building. The current owner constructed a new garage next to the house in 1995. Your assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact me by phone (xxx) xxx-xxxx, fax (xxx) xxx-xxxx, by email (Blackrock.us.town.state), or by letter at the letterhead address.
Sincerely,