In spite of the conception amongst some that the Albion Historic Preservation Commission saddles business owners with costly regulations, the reality is that the village has not levied a fine against anyone who has violated the Village of Albion’s Preservation Law in recent memory — certainly not during my tenure as chairman. Sure, there has been a lot of saber rattling and threats, but when push has come to shove, nothing happens.
There are a number of reasons and plenty of blame to go around. Most people blame the code enforcer because he is a convenient scapegoat. The reality is that the board has never directed the code official to start citing or fining violators of the Preservation Law, probably because they fear a revolt from certain segments of the business community. To be fair, this has been the case for a long time and pre-dates many of the current board members. It is the inaction of the governing officials that has, in essence, made the historic law run on the “honor system.”
The problem with that is obvious; no law works on the honor system, especially not something as important as a law that has the potential to reap huge economic rewards if it is enforced consistently and fairly. Unfortunately, even after the former mayor left, little has changed with regard the historic law. The debate about the cell phone dealer’s sign went on for months and a promise was made by one member that they would pay for replacement of the sign “out of their own pocket.”
Despite the good intentions, that never happened and eventually nobody wanted to touch the issue. The sign remains just as it did over a year ago and the board did nothing after months of debate; instead they just let the issue die.
For the law to work, the Village Board and mayor need to take a stand in favor of it and set clear guidelines for business owners. This needs to be public instead of the current method, which almost makes it appear that the determining factor is either what side of Main Street officials are on or who is in the audience during a given meeting.
Whether it is true or not, if potential business owners perceive the law as a hindrance to business they will not open businesses here, or they may relocate. A lukewarm “honor system” model like we have today will not position the Village of Albion to reap potential economic rewards and may frustrate the people that have devoted so much time and energy into revitalizing the downtown area only too see many of those efforts thwarted or attacked from all angles. This attempt to please everyone with a hands off approach will essentially alienate everyone.
Albion recently was designated a Certified Local Government after years of preparation by many people and seemingly endless political wrangling and posturing. In order to keep that important status, the mindset of the Village Board and the community needs to change. Instead of looking at CLG designation as a weapon or a power grab, it should be utilized as a powerful and positive tool in the economic revitalization arsenal.
Recognition as a CLG is the first step toward legitimacy, and if it is not utilized properly, Albion could easily lose that important status. Without it, I fear that Albion is only a few decades away from seeing the vast majority of its older buildings demolished because they will be too expensive to repair.
Moreover, for the commission to function, it should have the full support of the village government when it comes under siege. The commission is made up of volunteers, but even volunteers need to feel as though they are appreciated and will be supported in difficult times, rather than made scapegoats. Many envision a new revitalized downtown, but vision without action is only an illusion.
Thom Jennings lives in Albion. For comments, write to holly.toal@journal-register.com. The Real Deal from Orleans County is now available as an audio podcast on iTunes.
