Page 49 - Brookings, SD Historic Preservation Plan

Educational Component Analysis
Issues
• Many creative and successful efforts have occurred to promote
preservation throughout Brookings but sustaining these efforts
long-term has been difficult.
• Many SDSU students living off-campus in a historic district do
not understand the history and the unique character of the dis-
tricts, or how to properly care for a historic resource.
• Not all events that could be held as an annual event, such as the
“Welcome to the Neighborhood” event, are being hosted on an
annual basis due to the lack of organizational leadership.
• Some SDSU students do not understand the history of the com-
munity within which they are living.
• Maintenance on many historic properties, especially rentals, is
lacking, often due to the absence of information given to proper-
ty owners regarding appropriate upkeep of a historic property.
• Some National Register plaques on designated historic buildings
are in disrepair, have gone missing or have not been distributed
to property owners.
• A lack of technical workshops for property owners hoping to
repair windows, siding and other components of their historic
structures makes it more difficult for them to find the informa-
tion.
• A lack of awareness of preservation incentives for some proper-
ty owners. The current Yonward platform for the
Commercial Historic District.
Opportunities
• Continue hosting educational events such as the “Welcome to
the Neighborhood” event for SDSU students and resident neigh-
bors in the University Residential Historic District to get to
know one another. In order to do so, an organization would need
to take leadership of this.
• Consider hosting the “Welcome to the Neighborhood” event
in the Central Residential Historic District in addition to the
University Residential Historic District. As off-campus housing
needs expand, this event may become applicable to both his-
toric districts if students living off-campus begin living in both
districts.
• Consider a mailing or newsletter to SDSU students that live
off-campus to provide information about the historic district
within which they live, and to also serve as an informational tool
regarding property maintenance, especially for heat and water
during a long break.
• While the Mayor’s Awards celebrate the best of preservation
projects in Brookings, recognize smaller preservation projects
by sending a short, personal note to the owners of other suc-
cessful projects to recognize their hard work and the impor-
tance of supporting preservation.
• Translate the walking brochures into a variety of languages so
international students and other visitors can learn more about
historic resources in Brookings.

Final Draft: February 2021 45