HERITAGE PRESERVATION, INC.

Minutes of Meeting, 11-24-08

Those present:  Betty Champion, Mary Peck, Jerry Dowd, Bob Torbert, Judy Tiffin, Ashley Winkle, Lee Freeman, Jim Ingrum, Hester Cope, Billy Warren

1. Judy Tiffin made the motion that the minutes of the 10-27-08 meeting be approved.  Jim Ingrum seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
   
   
2. Billy Warren presented this treasurer’s report:
   1. Checking Account Balance                               $3,768.13
   2. Forks of Cypress Project Balance                       3,234.78
   3. FDR Fund Balance                                             5,000.00
   4. Bailey Springs Project Balance                9,799.74

Betty Champion made the motion that the treasurer’s report be approved.  Bob Torbert seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

3. Bob Torbert made this report on the repairs at the Wilson Family Cemetery:
   1. Two of the tall cylindrical stones have been repaired (he circulated a color photograph of one of them); the cost to repair them was $400, which is to be paid from the $1,000 allocation from the city.
   2. Three concrete box-type markers are scheduled to be repaired.
   3. One gravestone was discovered intertwined with tree roots.
   4. The clean-up of the cemetery has been accepted by the Boy Scout Council as a legitimate Eagle Scout project.
      
      
4. Bob Torbert:
   1. Suggested that a photograph of every church building in Lauderdale County, with a brief history of each, be posted on the website overseen by Pat Mahan; and
   2. Reported that gravesites for some of Houston Cobb’s family are being moved from Sam Rice’s farm in Oakland to a rural church cemetery.
      
      
5. Lee Freeman made this report on the commemorative event held on Saturday, November 15, in honor of James T. Rapier, the Florence native who was the first African-American from Alabama to serve in the U.S. Congress:
   1. Approximately 20-25 people attended.
   2. Letters were received from the Brock family (descendants of Mr. Rapier) and Congressman Artur Davis who were not able to attend.
   3. Mayor Irons presented a handsome plaque to honor Mr. Rapier.
   4. Dr. Richard Bailey, from Montgomery, made a presentation about Mr. Rapier and was highly complimentary of Florence and its history.
   5. Christy Ileto, a reporter from Channel 48 in Huntsville, gave the program excellent coverage.
      
      

Lee Freeman requested that HPI give an honorarium to Dr. Richard Bailey as an act of appreciation for everything he did to make the commemorative program a success.  Betty Champion made the motion that HPI send Dr. Bailey a check for $100.  Jerry Dowd seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

6. Billy Warren thanked Lee Freeman for assuming the responsibility to complete the application to get the Florence City Cemetery listed on the State Registry of Historic Cemeteries.  Lee stated that he is already at work on the project.  Hooray!
   
   
7. Billy Warren distributed copies of the revised letter of opposition to subdividing houses into apartments.  Hester Cope made the motion that the letter be approved.  Jim Ingrum seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
   
   

After discussing the matter, it was decided that copies of the letter should be sent to:

1. The City Building Department,
2. The City Planning Department,
3. Members of the City Council, and
4. The Mayor.
   
   
7. Ashley Winkle made this report for Florence Main Street:
   1. First Friday/Downtown Florence Open House is Friday, December 5.
   2. The annual Christmas parade in downtown Florence is Thursday, December 11, at 7:00 p.m.
   3. The Zodiac Theater is staging performances of “The Christmas Story” at the Shoals Theater.
   4. Oriental Pearl, a new store featuring dried and frozen food and gifts, will open after Thanksgiving in the beautifully-restored HyTech building on East Tennessee Street.
   5. Jamie Irby’s Law Office is now open in the handsomely-restored building next to Smokehouse Billiards on East Tennessee Street.
   6. McGraw’s Coffee House is preparing to open an artists’ consignment shop in the building next door to the Coffee House.
   7. Eleven new planters (like those already in downtown Florence) have been purchased from a company in Mississippi.  Of the eleven, nine will be positioned at the city/county government building (former home of First Southern Bank); two will be at First Methodist Church.
      
      
8. Billy Warren circulated a copy of a color-coded map which reflects all of the historic districts in downtown Florence (a total of 680 structures on the National Register of Historic Places).  He reported that he worked with Scooter Muse and Ben Smith in the City Planning Department to create the map.  It is now being checked by a staff member at the Alabama Historical Commission; when that is completed, Billy will make copies for all members of the HPI Board.
   
   
9. It was noted that the three-year term for the following Board members expires on December 31, 2008:
   1. Jerry Dowd
   2. Lee Freeman
   3. James Ingrum
   4. Iva McClure
   5. Judy Tiffin

Of the five listed, these agreed to accept another three-year term:

6. Jerry Dowd
7. Lee Freeman
8. James Ingrum

11. Because of the upcoming holiday season, it was agreed that the December meeting of the HPI Board will be Monday, December 15, at 12:00 noon.
    
    
12. Billy Warren distributed copies of a complete list of the names of people (51 total) to whom HPI’s Capital Award has been given over the years.  These nominations were made at today’s meeting:
    1. Dr. and Mrs. Charlie Mao (Commercial)
    2. Pat Mahan (Individual)
    3. John Harris (Commercial)
    4. Jamie Irby (Commercial)
    5. Jeanne and Billy Reid (Residential)
    6. Walnut Street Historic District
       
       

The final decisions regarding nominations will be made at the December meeting.

13. Billy Warren reported that Nancy Muse has asked HPI to host a booth at the second Earth Day Fest in Wilson Park on Saturday, April 25, from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.  It was noted that this is the same date for HPI’s annual Cemetery Stroll; therefore, it will not be possible for HPI to participate.
    
    
14. Lee Freeman distributed copies of a brochure describing the new Digital Archives at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library (www.archive.flpl.org).  He encouraged everyone to visit the site and to offer items to be digitized per the guidelines in the brochure.
    
    
15. Billy Warren circulated a copy of a new brochure entitled “Rock of Ages: Historic Churches of Colbert County, Alabama” which was developed by the Colbert County Tourism Bureau.