The Case for Preservation

Sustaining Heritage Funding

While Restoring Colorado’s Capitol Dome

Current economic conditions have seriously hampered the ability of the State to fund the much-needed repairs, which are estimated to exceed $17 million. In response to the urgency, the Legislature diverted $4 million from the State Historical Fund (SHF) in May of 2010 to initiate the restoration effort. This difficult but necessary decision has resulted in cutting the grant-making capacity of the Fund by fifty percent in FY 2011 (the Fund was established in 1991 to be used for heritage preservation efforts throughout Colorado). Unfortunately, should the remaining $13 million needed to complete the job be appropriated from the Fund, other essential preservation projects throughout the State will suffer. Because each dollar granted from the Fund creates an additional six dollars of economic activity, Colorado communities are making a substantial sacrifice, at the expense of their own fiscal health and the protection of their special heritage resources, to ensure a future for the most visible symbol of our State.

Colorado Preservation, Inc. (CPI) is the private, statewide, historic preservation, non-profit organization. CPI fosters heritage preservation in communities of all sizes by providing information, education, training,
technical assistance, and advocacy. A fundamental priority of the organization is to safeguard the grant-making capacity of the State Historical Fund so that it may continue to have a positive economic impact in each of Colorado’s 64 counties. In 2009, CPI began working with the Legislature to craft solutions to the State’s dilemma; how to protect heritage funding throughout Colorado while restoring the Capitol dome. In a true expression of bipartisanship, Colorado’s elected leaders passed legislation tasking CPI with the responsibility to lead Share in the Care Colorado, a public/private initiative to fund the majority of the work required to restore the dome.

Preserving Our History, Assuring Our Legacy

In the spirit of the caring commitment made by Coloradans more than a century ago, CPI believes this is an appropriate and essential fundraising initiative for all citizens. Working together, Coloradans can share in the uniquely unifying opportunity to preserve the heritage of Colorado, not just on Capitol Hill, but throughout the State.