Help is Available for Rensselaer County Homeowners

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Owners of farmsteads like this one in Pittstown may apply for Historic Homeowner Tax Credits when they make repairs.

ALBANY, NY (09/17/2013)(readMedia)-- Homeowners in rural Rensselaer County are invited to attend a meeting to find out how they can save money while making repairs to their older homes.

The Preservation League of New York State will present a workshop in Valley Falls to help homeowners take advantage of a tax credit for repairs to older buildings.

The workshop will be held on Wednesday, October 2 at the Tomhannock Methodist Church, 97 Tomhannock Road in Valley Falls. During the workshop, which runs from 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., experts will review the basic guidelines of the program and answer questions about the application process for homeowners.

There is no cost for the workshop, but reservations are required as seating is limited. Please RSVP by Monday, September 30 by calling Connie Kheel at 518-686-7514 or by email at ckheel@gmail.com.The Pittstown Historical Society is sponsoring the workshop. Additional support for the workshop is provided by the Agricultural Stewardship Association and Rensselaer County Historical Society.

Additional workshops will be held inTroy on November 13, and in Albany on November 14. Please contact the Preservation League at 518-462-5658 x12 for more information.

"The League has been working for several years to ensure that rural homeowners can take advantage of rehabilitation tax credits," said Erin Tobin, the League's Regional Director of Technical and Grant Programs in eastern New York. "In 2008, we awarded an $8,000 Preserve New York grant for an intensive-level cultural resource survey of historic farmsteads in Pittstown. The success of that project led to a second Preserve New York grant of $7,500 in 2010 to support the cost of a National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form and several individual farmstead listings." The funded work led to 12 properties being individually listed on the National Register, and owners of those homes are now eligible to apply for rehabilitation tax credits.

The New York State Historic Homeowner Tax Credit Program will cover 20% of qualified rehabilitation costs of owner-occupied historic houses, up to a credit value of $50,000.

"This is the perfect time to finally fix that leaking roof, or repair drafty windows," said Jay DiLorenzo, president of the Preservation League of New York State. "This tax credit can help homeowners provide safer and healthier homes for their families, and protect their investments for generations to come."

"More and more homeowners are discovering how the Historic Homeowner Tax Credit is a cost-effective way to improve their properties," said Rose Harvey, Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. "What's more, the tax credit is an effective economic development tool – providing an incentive to invest in older homes, stabilizing neighborhoods and creating local jobs for skilled trades-people."

"The Pittstown Historical Society has been working on an initiative since 2008 to document its historic farmsteads," said Connie Kheel, the treasurer of the organization. "With financial assistance from the Preservation League of New York State and the Hudson River Valley Greenway, we have documented 26 farmsteads in Pittstown, twelve of which have now been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. These farmsteads are an important cultural resource for the entire region, and we're grateful that their history is being preserved. Initially, there was no financial incentive to the farmstead owners to list their property on the National Register. We are very excited that because these Pittstown properties are eligible for the tax credit program, there is a benefit in addition to the honor of being added to the National Register."

This program requires that the building be individually listed in the State or National Register of Historic Places, or in a listed historic district. Additionally, the building must be located in a qualifying census tract, and at least $5,000 must be spent on the project.

To find out if a home is eligible, please visit http://nysparks.com/shpo/tax-credit-programs/ or contact Sloane Bullough at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation at 518-237-8643, ext. 3252. Eligibility information will also be available at the workshop.