My wife, Toni Wilkes, and I live directly across the street from Alice and Bruce Thomas' home at 503 College St. We have admired the Thomas' efforts to restore their home back to its rich heritage over the years they've owned it and we now applaud their application to designate the A.W. Norton House as a Local Heritage Preservation Site. As a graduate of St. Olaf College Class of 1996, the historical character of Northfield drew me to return to Northfield as a resident some 20 years later. For Northfield to consider itself a town of historical interest, it must continue to support designating qualified homes and buildings as heritage sites. The recent loss of the beloved Archer House Inn makes the continued designation of historical sites even more urgent as such sites increase the profile and prestige of Northfield, the lure of tourists and visitors, the quality of life for residents and residents' property values without curtailing remodeling of non-historical designated homes.