Two citizens speaking at the June 8 Salem City Council meeting asked Council to establish an Architectural Review Board.
John Breen and Stella Reinhard said an ARB could help protect what they believe are historical structures worth saving.
Reinhard told Councilmembers during the Citizen Comment period at the beginning of the meeting adopting an ARB could establish a list of protocol steps that would allow Council to vote on demolitions of historic importance.
“We are losing some of the stories,” she said.
Breen noted 70 percent of Salem houses are 50 years old, and suggested the city initiate tax abatements as well as city beautification projects.
He also said the current housing survey is not up to date.
In actions, Council:
* Adopted, on second reading, a change to the zoning ordinance requested by ABoone Real Estate Inc. to allow windows on the sides of townhouse groupings, and reduce the separation between townhouses to 20 instead of 40 feet;
* Adopted on first reading a special exception to allow a two-family dwelling at 213 Rutledge Circle;
* adopted a resolution in support of SMART SCALE Round 7 Funding applications;
* Adopted a resolution supporting the Interstate 81 Widening project in the City of Salem;
* Adopted a Remote Participation Policy for Councilmembers in fiscal year 2026-2027;
* Approved Fiscal Agent Contracts for the next fiscal year, to be the fiscal agent for Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy;
* Approved the Opioid Settlement Strategic Plan and authorized staff to apply for additional available Individual Distribution and Gold Standard funding;
* Approved Salem Schools’ Operating Fund budget as approved by the School Board on May 12.
Council also canceled the June 22 meeting for lack of items for the agenda. Four Councilmembers attended in person, with Councilman John Saunders participating remotely due to a temporary medical condition. The meeting adjourned at 7:09 pm.
