Escanaba City Council took a bold step last week that can have an everlasting impact on the city. The council adopted an ordinance that allows for the establishment of historic districts in the city.

This is great news and is a step in the right direction in trying to preserve the rich heritage that exists in the community. Not only does the ordinance allows the making of these districts, it also sets up a commission to handle these requests and approved the first such district - the Richter Brewery Historic District.

Matt and Beth Sviland have been working on the first district for months and have obtained a number of state and federal tax credits to allow them to restore the Richter Brewery building and turn it into the Lofts on Ludington project.

The benefit of having this designation in Escanaba is that it allows for others who want to restore older structures in the community to apply for the same tax credits and designations the Svilands have done. This is crucial because there are many rules and regulations that have to be followed in restoring old structures and those rules can be costly.

It also allows for completed projects to receive historical recognition at both the state and federal level. The ordinance also will protect the past by making sure old buildings in certain areas are not defaced or lose their significance.

We want to congratulate city council for having the vision to pass this important piece of legislation and look toward the future while protecting the past. We also want to once again commend the Svilands for taking the initiative and moving their project forward.

All of these actions finally are coming together and Escanaba will be a much better city to live in because of all those involved.