Township Attorney Edwin Schmierer joined the Monday afternoon meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) for a workshop addressing the “what will happen?” questions that are probably being asked right now at any number of official (and non-official) Borough and Township meetings as consolidation draws near.

Borough Historic Preservation Officer Derek Bridger also attended the meeting, along with Borough Historic Preservation Review Committee (HPRC) member Cecilia Tazelaar.

While the existing preservation groups in both municipalities will cease to exist as of January 1, 2013, Mr. Schmierer said he expected that “some of the ‘old crew‘ will be part of the ‘new crew.’” He praised the work of the planning subcommittee that reviewed and combined the sometimes different charges of the current departments, noting that the most immediate goal is to “get the picture set” and “maintain momentum,” allowing the incoming commission to fine-tune the guidelines. Mr. Schmierer suggested that the process more or less consisted of “putting the two commissions together and regulating historic preservation,” and that there would be “no substantive changes” to the purview of the newly created commission.

After expressions of concern about “continuity,” it was agreed that members of the two “sunsetting” departments should meet at least once before year’s end, to discuss ongoing concerns and document them in meeting minutes for future use.

In the meantime, both the HPC and the HPRC’s guidelines will be temporarily adopted at the January 1 meeting at which new officers will be sworn in. The meeting may begin at midnight, Mr. Schmierer reported, drawing laughs by opening his arms wide and suggesting that with a “consent agenda this long,” the meeting might go on until 3 a.m.

Mr. Schmierer also described the “shadow government” of -prospective new officials, who are receiving “a lot of briefing” in anticipation of the transition. While they cannot take action yet, they are beginning “to plan everything that will be done.”