A move is afoot in Mathews to have the county become a certified local government. Preservation Mathews, an organization established to help preserve historic properties, held a meeting on Feb. 13 to share information about the CLG designation with the public and with Mathews supervisors. Preservation Mathews members Dee Russell and Lori Black explained that the certification is a federal designation under the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service, administered in Virginia by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. The local government agrees to participate in preservation efforts by developing an ordinance protecting historic properties, identifying and establishing historic districts, delineating district boundaries, and establishing a review board to review exterior alterations, relocations, demolitions, or new construction that’s visible from the public right-of-way. Members of the review board (usually five) must meet certain requirements, incl...