Central Texas Regional Preservation Summit will offer educational insight, showcase area opportunities

Preservation Texas, the statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation, recently announced that the Central Texas Regional Preservation Summit will take place on Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Dunbar Recreation Center in San Marcos.

The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and lunch will be provided.

Registration is open to anyone interested in attending.

Organizers stated that this summit aims to educate and empower local preservationists in Central Texas, a need that is more and more acute as the area continues to experience rapid growth. Maintaining a sound historic profile while expanding is often difficult for local communities.

Attendees will hear from a range of preservation professionals and organizations from across the region.

Session topics will include Dunbar Neighborhood history and context, protecting historic neighborhoods in the face of gentrification, local incentives for appropriate infill in historic downtowns, the Texas Freedom Colonies Project, balancing preservation and growth, the Certified Local Government program, and more.

Additionally, Preservation Texas’s 2023 Honor Awards will be presented to Central Texas award recipients at this event.

Samantha Hunick, Preservation Texas’s San Marcos-based Central Texas Program Officer, said she is excited about the upcoming event, stating, “The Central Texas Regional Preservation Summit is a unique opportunity for us to bring together experts, advocates, and local stakeholders to discuss the challenges and opportunities for historic preservation in the region.'

She stated, 'We’re thrilled to collaborate with the preservation community here in Central Texas.”

Tickets for the summit are available now and can be purchased for $40 for Preservation Texas members, $50 for non-members, $60 for first-time members (which includes a complimentary one-year individual membership), or $20 for students. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit preservationtexas. org/ctxsummit.

Founded in 1985, Preservation Texas is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to offering a range of statewide preservation programs.

Preservation Texas protects historic places through direct investments, grants, and by empowering people and organizations through advocacy, collaboration and education. To learn more about this organization, go to preservationtexas. org.