Section VI. Heritage
Assets
Heritage assets are unique, irreplaceable, and have
intrinsic value beyond the basic cost of their replacement. They are properties or resources valued
because of their historical or cultural associations and/or as sources of
historical or scientific information.
Heritage assets are generally expected to be preserved indefinitely and
thereby require a very different process of life cycle management than for
non-heritage assets.
It is Department of the Interior policy to manage heritage
assets in ways that preserve their cultural, historical, and scientific
values. This policy is mandated by Federal law, such as the National Historic Preservation
Act (NHPA) and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), and by executive
orders (EO), such as EO 13287 “Preserve America.” These statutes and EOs identify the Federal
Government’s lead role in preserving, protecting, maintaining, and using its
historic properties, including heritage assets.
Heritage assets addressed in this guidance include
several types: historic structures and buildings, cultural landscapes, and
maintained archeological sites.[1] Because each heritage asset type is by its
physical nature different, some may require a different approach to developing
the deferred maintenance (DM) and Current Replacement Values (CRV) costs for
calculating a Facility Condition Index (FCI).
Historic Structures and Buildings, and Cultural
Landscapes
For historic structures and buildings and cultural landscapes,
modern construction costs do not accurately reflect the cost of maintaining the
asset in a manner that preserves its integrity and meets the Secretary of the
Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Historic Preservation Projects. The use of a “replacement-in-kind” DM and CRV
that captures the cost of historically accurate materials and workmanship must
be used.
Maintained Archeological Sites
Maintained archeological sites are a subset of the
department’s inventory of known and documented archeological sites. They only include sites that are actively
maintained through improvements to preserve their integrity. Because archeological sites are irreplaceable, and because
calculating a replacement cost could compromise the department’s ability to
prosecute violations of the ARPA, it is not appropriate to use CRV for this
asset type.
For maintained archeological sites, a management-oriented
standard is more appropriate in order to avoid compromising protections and to
emphasize the different life cycle management process
they require. Efforts to establish costs
for archeological sites should not focus on the replacement of the asset, but
on managing and preserving the integrity of the asset. An appropriate approach for developing
management and preservation costs for maintained archeological sites is to
focus on the one-time costs to manage a site upon initial discovery and to use
these costs as a substitute for the CRV.
These costs might be called a Current Management Value (CMV). This involves establishing a site’s original
state of integrity and significance through four standard phases of management:
1) Identification, 2) Evaluation, 3) Treatment, and 4) Curation. Each phase involves specific costs for
carrying out that work. The treatment
phase, for example, includes Excavation/Data recovery, Stabilization -
Environment, Stabilization - Fabric, Conservation, and/or Documentation. The treatment costs must reflect historically
accurate materials and workmanship.
Determining Heritage Asset Costs
A 3
option approach to developing the DM costs and the costs associated with the
CRV/CMV should be used for all types of heritage assets, including their
component features, to ensure historical accuracy according to historic
preservation standards. The costs of
supplemental services, pre-design, design, management, and historically
accurate materials and workmanship must be included. Any determinations of costs should be
coordinated with heritage asset and cultural resource staff. The three options,
which may be used in combination, are:
1.
Use the RS Means standard industry costs with an added factor, as necessary, to
take into account the costs associated with historic materials and workmanship.
The added factor of 20%-100% (can exceed 100% as needed) should vary by individual
asset.
2. Use cultural resource professionals to determine the costs. These
professionals include historical architects, archeologists, architectural conservators,
and craftsmen expert in historically accurate materials and workmanship.
3. Use cost quotes from contractors with expertise in the treatment
and materials required.
For guidance glossary:
Maintained Archeological
Sites are
archeological sites on federal lands that are maintained actively. This
involves improvements to an archeological site that extend its life and enhance
its value through conservation or preservation activities. Such activities include preventative
maintenance, in-kind replacement of parts and structural components, conservation
treatments, recurring repairs, normal repairs, unscheduled repairs, and other
actions. Active maintenance of
archeological sites is part of a resource stewardship and management program.
Reasons for active maintenance of archeological sites include: (a) to retain
structural and physical integrity, (b) to correct or prevent deterioration, (c)
to be kept at or brought to a state of “fair” or “good” condition under bureau
criteria, (d) for public interpretation, (e) for emergency situations, or (e)
for other management purposes.
[1] Museum collections are collectible heritage assets. As such, they are personal property and are not included in this guidance.