Lake Orion DDA Director Lois Golden says the community owes a debt of gratitude to a pair of outstanding citizens and historians.
Golden credits James Ingram and Sara Van Portfliet with having been instrumental in obtaining National Register Designation for the community last August.
‘The Orion Historical Society and many other people were very involved in the process, but this accomplishment might not have been possible without the participation of these two individuals,? said Golden.
‘Both Jim and Sara have been fundamental and key to this project,? Golden added. ‘They are the ones who did all the research, attended all the meetings and kept the public aware.?
A longtime resident of Lake Orion, Ingram has devoted much of his time and energy to the preservation of the village.
Besides being a regular columnist in the Lake Orion Review, he often leads walking and boating tours of historic Orion locations and helped publish a booklet for those wishing to take self-guided tours.
More recently, he co-authored ‘Images of Lake Orion,? which is already in its third printing after being available to the public for only a short time. The book is available at several downtown locations.
Van Portfliet was the co-founder of the Orion Historical Society in 1994, and she has been a strong advocate for preservation of the community’s buildings and culture.
In 1998, Van Portfliet was among five historians who led the way in the pursuit of Orion’s first National Register historic district. She also conducted a door-to-door survey of property owners in the proposed district to measure their knowledge and encourage participation in the process of preserving the village’s history.
Tax credit workshop Nov. 16
In conjunction with the National Historic District designation, an informational workshop will take place Thurs., Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at the United Methodist Church. The workshop is being co-sponsored by the DDA and the Orion Historical Society.
Bryan Lijewski of the State Historic Preservation Office will be on hand to discuss tax credits available to commercial and residential property owners who make renovations within the national historic district.
Sara Van Portfliet explained that the tax credits can apply to interior and exterior renovations and are subject to certain federal guidelines.
‘This is our very first educational workshop since the designation,? said Van Portfliet. ‘Being on the National Registry does not stop you from making other physical changes to a property. That limitation only applies if there is a local ordinance in place. Lake Orion does not have such an ordinance.?