Historic preservation board approves $1,000 matching grant for 507 East Rusk Street

At a Rockwall City Historic Preservation Advisory Board meeting, members voted to award a $1,000 small matching grant to Fran and Rodney Webb for replacement of a front-yard fence at 507 East Rusk Street (H2026-002).

Staff told the board the subject property is designated a medium contributing property in the Old Town Rockwall Historic District, built circa 1890 with Victorian influences. According to the Unified Development Code, contributing residential properties in the district are eligible for matching funds up to $1,000. Staff reported the applicant’s total project valuation as $2,545, which would qualify them for the full $1,000 match, and noted that one other small matching grant had already been approved for FY2026. Staff also said 38 property-owner notifications were mailed to addresses within 200 feet and no responses had been received to date.

Rodney Webb, who identified himself as the property owner at 507 East Rusk Street, described the work as the final section of a wrought-iron fence replacement. "This is really the... last section that we're replacing; it's the most visible to the street," Webb said, adding the new fence will "follow the contour of the driveway" and sit a bit closer to the street.

The chair clarified that the board was approving the grant payment, not the fence design or placement. Staff confirmed the project was an in-kind improvement and did not require a certificate of appropriateness under the program rules.

A board member moved to approve the requested budget for the small matching grant and the chair seconded. The motion carried 3–1, with Miller recorded as the lone dissenting vote; an earlier recusal by another board member was also noted during the meeting. The motion authorizes up to $1,000 from the small matching grants fund for the applicant’s $2,545 project.

The board then asked the historic preservation officer for an update; the officer said there was nothing further to report. The meeting was adjourned.