[OMS_MANAGERS] We need Main Street support to pass a new Rehabilitation Tax Credit!

[Peggy Moretti]

Dear Main Street Colleagues -

I'm following up a recent letter in which we announced that Restore Oregon was responding to cries for help from Main Streets across Oregon for more financial help to restore and revitalize our historic downtowns.  We've launched a campaign to pass a 25% state Rehabilitation Tax Credit<http://restoreoregon.org/rehab-tax-credit/> (RTC) for historic commercial and apartment buildings (see this handy RTC fact sheet<http://restoreoregon.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/RTC_OneSheet-05-05-14_PRINT.pdf>) and expect to bring forward legislation during the 2015 session which starts in January.  But we need your help to succeed!

I know you have a lot on your plates, but urge you to take a few minutes to do the following:


1.    Send a letter endorsing the Rehab Tax Credit addressed to Restore Oregon from your Main Street organization.  You can also endorse it online<http://restoreoregon.org/rehab-tax-credit/> (be sure to include your organization name.)  Also ask your mayor/city council, and individual citizens to endorse the RTC.



2.   Forward examples of local buildings that need the RTC to spur their rehabilitation and reuse (an old hotel, theater, department store, Masonic lodge, warehouse, etc.) Here's the basic info we need - along with one or two good photos of the building:
Name & address of building:
Original use / current use (incl if some or all is vacant):
Contact for building (name, phone or email):
Ownership: public or private?
Is it listed on the National Register or within a designated Historic District?
What are the challenges to the building; what rehabilitation does it need?  (ie code compliance, structural/seismic issues, storefront, etc.):
What impact would its rehabilitation have?


3.    Make a contribution<http://restoreoregon.org/join/rehab-tax-credit/> to offset costs of the RTC lobbying effort.  Any amount is helpful and it demonstrates to lawmakers that the bill has real, broad-based support.  We estimate the total lobbying-related costs to exceed $75,000.

Several Main Streets have already responded (thank you, McMinnville, Albany, and Dayton!).  Hopefully many more of you will, too.

Passage of the RTC is the single most important thing we could do to save and revitalize the historic buildings that our Main Streets.  Please feel free to call me directly with any questions.  Your help is greatly appreciated and will make a tremendous difference!

Peggy

Peggy Moretti
Executive Director
[cid:image002.jpg at 01CF79A0.CCB6E420]<http://www.restoreoregon.org/>
24 NW First Avenue, Suite 274 | Portland, OR  97209
503 243-1923
Visit our NEWSROOM<http://restoreoregon.org/news/> for preservation stories from around Oregon.
[cid:image004.png at 01CF79A0.CCB6E420]<https://www.facebook.com/RestoreOregon?v=wall&viewas=0>


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/oms_managers/attachments/20140715/b99e3b02/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 3394 bytes
Desc: image001.jpg
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/oms_managers/attachments/20140715/b99e3b02/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.png
Type: image/png
Size: 932 bytes
Desc: image002.png
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/oms_managers/attachments/20140715/b99e3b02/attachment.png>