The purpose of establishing the Joint Gaston County Historic Properties Commission shall be:
(A) To safeguard the heritage of the county by preserving any property therein that embodies important elements of its cultural, social, economic, political or architectural history;
(B) To promote the use and conservation of such property for the education, pleasure and enrichment of the county and the state; and
(C) To recommend sites for designation as historic properties on the basis of individual merit and historical significance.
(1995 Code, § 9-76)