Members of the ACHP met March 22 in Washington, DC for their spring business meeting. They discussed the pending transition to a full-time chairman following the President’s announcement of his intent to nominate Aimee Jorjani to that position. Members will need to renegotiate the agency’s strategic plan and revisit the operating procedures and office structure. Chairman Milford Wayne Donaldson will be appointing a member task force to work on these issues in the near term.

Members also discussed the Administration’s infrastructure initiative, noting the ACHP has been fully engaged with the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council. Issues were raised regarding the Federal Communications Commission’s program of collocating cell equipment on towers that may not have undergone Section 106 review in the early 2000s. The FCC has been working with the ACHP to develop a Program Comment for the project.

Members voted to approve a policy statement on Commemorative Works and also debuted the 2018 Section 3 Report to the President on stewardship of federal historic property. The recommendations will be streamlined and prioritized. The ACHP will also be taking part in two youth engagement projects involving students in northern California and Morgan State University learning preservation crafts and trades.