HERITAGE PRESERVATION, INC.

Minutes of Meeting, 5-18-09

 

Those present:  Betty Champion, Lee Freeman, Mary Peck, Kitty Cox, Bob Torbert, Iva McClure, Brett Wood, Vince Brewton, Billy Warren

 

  1. Bob Torbert made the motion that the minutes of the 3-20-09 and 4-27-09 meetings be approved.  Brett Wood seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

     
  2. Billy Warren presented these treasurer’s reports:

     

For April 27, 2009:
      a.  Checking Account Balance                                $3,570.13

      b.  Forks of Cypress Account Balance                    $3,234.78

      c.  FDR Fund Balance                                            $5,000.00

      d.  Bailey Springs Project Balance               $3,441.20

 

For May 18, 2009:

      a.  Checking Account Balance                                $3,608.13

      b.  Forks of Cypress Account Balance                    $3,234.78

      c.  FDR Fund Balance                                            $5,000.00

                  d.  Bailey Springs Project Balance               $4,050.90

 

Vince Brewton made the motion that the reports be approved.  Lee Freeman seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

 

  1. Bob Torbert made this report on the Wilson Family Cemetery:
    1. The City of Florence will contribute $600 toward the refurbishing of the cemetery.
    2. It will be sometime in the month of June when Atkins Stoneworks will be ready to repair one of the box-type markers at the cemetery.
    3. No response has come yet from the Lauderdale County Commission to the request for funds for the cemetery refurbishing.
    4. When one of the box-type markers has been repaired, photographs of it will be used to try to secure funds from the neighborhood near the cemetery.

       
  2. It was agreed that Billy Warren should write a letter of appreciation to Stacy Dean for the bottled water she distributed at the recent Cemetery Stroll.
     
  3. Ashley Winkle (in absentia) reported that the front façade of Ye Olde General Store on North Seminary Street has now been painted; Mr. Glasscock, the owner, is now in the process of painting the wood trim around doors and windows.  The new paint job looks great!

     

Ashley also reported that the awnings at the Help Center building on South Court Street have been painted.  The black paint on the awnings is a perfect choice to accent the taupe color of the exterior walls.

 

HPI donated $200 toward the purchase of the paint for each of these projects.

 

  1. Billy Warren reported that he conducted these two walking tours in recent days.
    1. Monday, May 11, Wilson Park – Waterloo High School students
    2. Friday, May 15, Upper North Court Street – a group of retirees from Birmingham

 

He stated that he will soon conduct these tours:

a.       Thursday, May 28, Walnut Street – Grandparents’ support group

b.      Saturday, May 30, Walnut Street – General public (sponsored by the Florence-Lauderdale Tourism Bureau)

 

  1. Billy Warren distributed copies of the list of walking tours sponsored by the

      Florence-Lauderdale Tourism Bureau which will be conducted each Saturday at    

     10:00 a.m. from May 30 through June 27.

 

  1. Billy Warren distributed copies of the letter of appreciation which he wrote to Nancy Gonce, per the direction of the Board, for the untold amount of time she has devoted to getting the Shoals designated a National Heritage Area.

     
  2. A hearty round of applause was directed to Iva McClure for her role in the successful Waterloo Heritage Days (which took place over the past weekend) and for the award she was given by the town of Waterloo for her untiring work in behalf of the town.

     
  3. Billy Warren circulated a copy of a new book, Historic Alabama by Pam Jones, which was published by the Birmingham News Company.  He noted that its retail price is $9.00 and that he purchased through his office copies of the book for certain school libraries.

     
  4. Ashley Winkle (in absentia) submitted a request for $200 toward the purchase of paint for the exterior of McGraw’s Coffee Shop and the building next door that houses an art gallery called Artisans.  These adjacent buildings are located on North Court Street.  Vince Brewton made the motion that the request for $200 be granted.  Betty Champion seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

     
  5. Regarding the possibility of HPI’s sponsoring the creation of virtual walking tours on DVD’s, these ideas were set forth:
    1. The virtual tours might include tours that are currently done in person (e.g., Upper North Court Street, Wilson Park, Walnut Street) and others that might be done specifically for this project, such as:

                                                               i.      Historic markers in Florence and Lauderdale County;

                                                             ii.      Churches in Florence, and

                                                            iii.      Commercial buildings in downtown Florence.

    1. Virtual tours may be used as an economic development engine by the Shoals Chamber of Commerce and other agencies.
    2. The virtual tours might be short (3-5 minutes each) and posted on appropriate local websites.
    3. If we develop high-quality virtual tours, they could be used to convince people to move to the Shoals.
    4. The UNA professor who holds the new position known as Digital Media Professor might allow his students to work on the videos as a class project or as internships.

 

It was agreed that virtual tour videos hold great possibility as a project for HPI to pursue.  There will be more discussion on the topic at future Board meetings.

 

  1. Billy Warren circulated a collection of three separate photographs depicting the fountain in Wilson Park at various times in its history.  The missing third tier shows up clearly in two of the three, so the stonemason in Franklin, Tennessee, can duplicate it accurately.

     
  2. Mary Peck reported that the house on the southwest corner of East Tuscaloosa and Chestnut Streets has been demolished.  (This is the same house for which its owner sought a variance in recent months so he could subdivide it into apartments.)

     
  3. Lee Freeman presented a DVD of the recent Cemetery Stroll, noting that it was created by Amy Fulmer.

     
  4. Because of time constraints, the group deferred the discussion of photographs of historic homes on HPI’s website to the June Board meeting.