Excerpt from Frederick News-Post:

The central figure on the city’s Historic Preservation Commission — literally, he sits in the middle of the dais — has left his post.

Scott Winnette, commission chairman, announced he was stepping down during the city’s 2017 Historic Presentation Awards on Thursday. His resignation ends a decade of service on the commission, seven of those years as chairman.

Although commission members have taken — and in some cases, doled out — criticism for their decisions on controversial cases, Winnette’s decision was unrelated.

He’s moving to Myersville, he told me in an interview outside the meeting room. As a non-city resident, he can no longer serve on any of the city’s boards or commissions.

But that doesn’t mean he’s leaving the preservation scene entirely.

“I’ll still be around,” he assured me.

Winnette is also involved in a host of local and statewide preservation events and groups: the Frederick County Landmarks Foundation, The Maryland Room at the C. Burr Artz Public Library, Frederick Preservation Trust and the Frederick County History Day contest. Winnette’s husband, Anthony Moscato, serves as chairman of Frederick Preservation Trust.

Asked what he’ll do with his now-free second and fourth Thursday nights — the commission’s typical meeting times — he laughed. No plans yet, he told me.

His departure opens up a second spot on the seven-member commission — eight members if you include the alternate seat. Another seat opened when former commissioner Michael Simons’ term ended in April.

Winnette’s current term was set to expire in May 2019, according to the city website.

Highlighting historic preservation

Winnette’s contributions to the historic preservation commission, as well as other local preservation efforts, earned him one of the three Community Leadership awards distributed as part of the 2017 Historic Preservation Awards.

The annual awards honor local businesses and individuals for their contributions to historic preservation. Dan Lawton and Stephen Parnes, members of the Historic Preservation Commission, presented the awards to recipients at the city’s public hearing Thursday.

Winners were:

  • McClintock Distilling Co. and Murphy Properties II both received the Bricks and Mortar Rehabilitation award for their renovations to 35 S. Carroll St. and 37 E. Fifth St., respectively;
  • Frederick County Landmarks Foundation, Ausherman Family Foundation, Ausherman Properties and Highland Glen Gardens jointly received the Stewardship award for maintenance and workmanship at Schifferstadt Architectural Museum;
  • Fitzgerald’s Heavy Timber Frame Construction received the Craftsmanship award for work at several historic buildings and sites.; and
  • Community Leadership awards were given to Winnette; artist Heather Clark, General Engineering Co. President Rusty Hauver and the Frederick Arts Council for their partnership on the Sky Stage project; and the late Michael Proffitt. Proffitt, principal of Frederick architectural and interior design firm Proffitt & Associates Architects, died in February.