Alternative Materials: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Sharon Ferraro has been the Historic Preservation Coordinator in her hometown of Kalamazoo MI (Population 75,000 – 2070 historic resources in 5 districts) since 2001. For the past five years she has worked with the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, training historic district commissions throughout western Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. In 1999-2001, she completed a reconnaissance level historic resource survey for Kalamazoo and has also nominated the Village of Richland, the Sand Hills Light Station, the Ahmeek Streetcar station in the Keweenaw Peninsula, a winery, an 1840s farmstead and a part of downtown Kalamazoo to the National Register of Historic Places.
She is currently co-writing a National Register nomination for the Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial School for the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe in Michigan. In 2003, she co-founded the Old House Network, devoted to teaching old house owners hands-on repair and rehabilitation skills through workshops and an annual Old House Expo. Sharon is a received her master’s degree in historic preservation from Eastern Michigan University in 1994 and worked as a consultant on a wide variety of projects including Study Committee reports for a historic district in Ann Arbor, Michigan, forensic investigation of an 1850s home in Adventist Village Battle Creek Michigan and various highway projects.

Aimee Sunny is the Director of Education for the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the architectural and cultural heritage of the Town of Palm Beach. Aimee oversees the Foundation’s many educational programs, including the Little Red Schoolhouse Living History Program, the Heritage Education program, and the Foundation’s Scholarship and Internship programs, and also leads advocacy initiatives, grant writing, and preservation projects.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Aimee was the Senior Preservation Coordinator for the City of Lake Worth, Florida, where she administered all aspects of the City’s Historic Preservation Program. While with the City, Aimee worked on updating the City’s historic resource surveys and design guidelines through grant funding, and implemented a historic preservation awards program, a historic marker program, and a historic district signage plan. She also reviewed building permits and Certificates of Appropriateness in the City’s six historic districts and led community outreach and education efforts.
She previously worked for the architecture firm of Fairfax, Sammons & Partners designing classical and traditional residences, the Center for Historic Preservation at Ball State University, the City of Chicago’s Historic Preservation Division, and Indiana Landmarks. Aimee completed her Master of Science in Historic Preservation at Ball State University, and her Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. Aimee is an avid traveler, having studied abroad in Italy and Australia, and has traveled extensively both in the US and abroad. Aimee serves on the Palm Beach County Historic Resources Review Board, is a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), is a member of the American Planning Association (APA), and is a National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) licensure candidate.