Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

On April 3, 2020, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation issued a blanket extension regarding the review under 36 CFR 800.12 of undertakings responding to COVID-19 emergency and disaster declarations. Three extensions were issued, the third of which was set to expire on December 31, 2020. Considering the likelihood of such declarations remaining in place into the foreseeable near future, and the ongoing need for federal agency responses to them, that extension is now set to expire on March 31, 2021.

The ACHP will offer three live Section 106 training courses in 2021: Section 106 Essentials, Section 106 Agreements Seminar, and the Section 106 Practitioners Workshop.

These digital courses will provide an interactive classroom experience using Zoomgov.com (a FedRAMP compliant application), and continue to foster live discussion with poll questions and small group exercises.

Section 106 Essentials will be offered in two, four-hour sessions on consecutive days: February 9-10, April 13-14, July 13-14, and September 14-15, 2021, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. EST each day. The registration fee for this course is $400. 

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Chairman Aimee Jorjani today toured the site of what will be the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. Located in Pershing Park one block from the White House, the memorial is expected to open to the public in April 2021. Of the four major wars of the 20th century, World War I is the last to have a national memorial in the nation’s capital.

Pershing Park, a memorial to General John J. Pershing, commander of American forces in World War I, was redesignated as the site of the National World War I Memorial through legislation signed by President Barack Obama, as part of the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission activities.

ACHP members met virtually December 10 for their fall business meeting. Chairman Aimee Jorjani welcomed new ACHP expert and general public members to their first meeting including Vice Chairman Rick Gonzales, Luke Nichter, Kristopher King, John Finley, and John Frey. Members discussed several topics focusing on outleasing of federal historic properties where there was discussion on strategies for helping federal agencies reduce their footprint while making sure preservation remains in the forefront. They also discussed the upcoming 2021 report to the President which summarizes how federal agencies are using their historic properties. Additionally, there was discussion on how the ACHP guides agencies on using program alternatives for working through the Section 106 process.

ACHP will present a FREE series of LIVE Section 106 webinars in January 2021. Each one-hour webinar includes opportunities for participants to interact with the content, instructors, and others in the Zoomgov meeting (a FedRamp compliant application). Each webinar assumes that participants have some knowledge of the Section 106 review process, implementing regulations, and terms of art. If you participated in the ACHP's May 2020 Webinar Series or have completed our Section 106 Essentials classroom course, you are ready for the Winter 2021 Webinar Series: