Historical Commission

HISTORICAL COMMISSION MEETING January 18, 2018 (Revised) 8:00 a.m. Town Hall 100 Ann Edwards Lane Council Chambers, 1st Floor ****************** MINUTES Members Present: Rick Gutowski, Chairman; Patrick Morrissey, Vice Chairman; Robert Macdonald, Heidi Schless, Ken Shortridge and William Ray Staff Present: Chris Luly, Planner Also Present: Mary Julia Royall, Town Historian and Walter Brown, Advisor Mr. Gutowski called the meeting to order at 8:02 a.m. He welcomed the newest member to the Historical Commission and asked him to introduce himself. William Ray, Jr., stated that he is very happy to represent the Historical Commission. He said that he has been a resident for over 20 years and is a native of Orangeburg, SC. He stated that he served in the military for several years and he and his wife currently operate a Child Care Facility here in the Town of Mount Pleasant. He stated that he is a business owner and a real estate broker. He said they love Mount Pleasant and he is looking forward to working with the Commission. I. Approval of Minutes Mr. Morrissey moved for approval; seconded by Mr. Shortridge. All present voted in favor. II. Public Comment [None]  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 2 of 18 III. Elections Mr. Luly declared Mr. Rick Gutowski as Chair and Mr. Patrick Morrissey as Vice Chair, via secret ballot votes. IV. Staff Update Mr. Luly said that he met with Mr. Walter Brown last week to finalize the Black History Month (BHM) events. He said he had fellow staff members assist him with putting together the BHM posters, which have been sent off to the printers. He expects to have the posters and rack cards printed, hopefully today. He said this is the same company they have used in the past. He said that once they come in, he will notify Commission members so they are able to distribute. He added that there is a slight increase in price. He said last year, the Commission paid $335.92 and this year the estimate was $354.91 for 1,000 rack cards and 100 posters, a $40 fee for formatting and sales tax of $30. Ms. Schless stated that the budget allocations have already been made for the year and said this was part of the budget approvals for Black History Month. Mr. Luly stated that the other two BHM costs this year will be for Claflin Singers and Christ Church has a $50 cleaning fee. Mr. Gutowski asked if he needed to get an invoice for Christ Church. Mr. Luly stated that their W9 is on file and he will follow up with the Planning Department’s Executive Office Manager. Ms. Schless asked Mr. Luly to let them know when the posters and rack cards are ready for pick up and where Mr. Luly would be distributing them so they do not double their efforts. Mr. Gutowski asked if Mr. Brown was able to obtain the names of the Generals who will be in attendance. Mr. Luly said that not all the generals will be attendance and Mr. Brown is still working with them; however, he did not list names on the posters or rack cards.  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 3 of 18 V. Committee Reports Archive Room Mr. Morrissey said he noticed that there are several more banker’s boxes in the Archive Room; however, no sign of any furniture. He asked if Ms. Poplin has ordered the furniture. Mr. Luly said that he believes Ms. Poplin has met with staff and has been communicating; however, he is unsure if the order has been submitted. Mr. Morrissey stated that once the order has been placed and we are aware of the estimated arrival time, then the other elements can then fall into place, as far as organizing and cataloging. He asked Mr. Luly to follow up on the timing. Mr. Macdonald stated that at the last meeting there was discussion regarding the materials from the research completed on the unincorporated communities. He asked if they were going to be brought into the Archive Room. Mr. Luly stated that they were brought over recently. Mr. Macdonald stated that he would contact Grant Gilmore at the College of Charleston to see if they are able to assign a student to review the boxes and organize them. Mr. Luly stated that he believes the boxes are labeled and organized by communities. Cresco Award and Settlement Communities Mr. Macdonald stated that the Cresco Award will move forward. He stated that yesterday, he met with the African American Historic Settlement Commission at the Historic Charleston Foundation. He said the Historic Charleston Foundation is assisting this group in organizing a plan to work with the County and hopefully with the Town of Mount Pleasant to establish overlay districts for these settlement communities. He said the County is way ahead of the Town in addressing this and in fact, on James Island, they have formed an overlay district at the Legare  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 4 of 18 Settlement and there is another one in that area. He said the priority for the settlement group is the Phillips, Scanlonville and Snowden communities, as far as setting up a process. He said the reason why the Phillips Community is the priority is because of the Highway 41 plan. He said there have been meetings with the County and the stakeholders to discuss the impact that the widening of Highway 41 will have on the Phillips Community. He said that the Phillips Community has not been invited to those meetings, so there is going to be an attempt to get them involved, because they will be directly impacted. He said this process is moving forward with the assistance of the lawyers of the Historic Charleston Foundation. He said in the County’s Comprehensive Plan, they are addressing this and the goal is to set up overlay districts for these communities, as each community is different, so there is no standard. He said the African American Historic Settlement Commission is working with the County and hopefully with the Town of Mount Pleasant, and will begin a process working with the Comprehensive Plan in Mount Pleasant to begin addressing the mitigation of development on these communities. He said this is very encouraging and other groups are involved in helping the African American Historic Settlement Commission, including the Coastal Community Foundation and the College of Charleston. He said there has been some real movement forward in organizing a process which will allow these communities to become, under their own terms, these overlay districts that will provide some protection for them. He said that he will continue to attend these meetings and assist this group in getting organized. Mr. Gutowski stated that he would like Mr. Macdonald to continue to attend the meetings. Mr. Shortridge said that some of the districts will be within the Town of Mount Pleasant and within those districts there will be historic buildings. He asked what is the stronghold of an overlay district and what are they able to enforce. He said that part of the Commission’s responsibility would be a historic building and if that were brought to the Commission’s attention, they would work with a settlement  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 5 of 18 community. He said as a resident of an overlay district, what are the restrictions that could be placed on him if he were a property owner or a homeowner. Mr. Macdonald said that it was his understanding that each of the districts would have a commission that will help govern that particular overlay district. He said there is currently an overlay district in the Town, but there is no governing authority. He said in terms of historic preservation, this effort does not deal with that, because there are very few historic buildings within these communities, but it is historic land usage. He said in Legare, they have made a rule not to have any fences. He said that the reasoning is that in African American Communities, there is a tradition of non-fencing your neighborhood, and people are able to walk through. He said a resident of Cainhoy said, “Fences are for animals”. He said these historic communities have long traditions of land usage and the focus of these overlay districts will be to prevent gates, fences, and to preserve the way the land has been used historically. The Commissions for each of the districts will monitor this. He said for example, if someone in that community wants to build a fence, they will need to go to the Commission to obtain approval. Mr. Shortridge stated that the real strength in this comes from the zoning regulations. Dr. Ray said that one of the other good points that will be accomplished with the overlay district is preservation, such as Highway 17 and the Sweetgrass Corridor. He said there are a number of Sweetgrass basket stands placed along the highway. He said they have been there historically for decades. He said one way sanctions have been put in place, which means when property is purchased along Highway 17, they must ensure that the stands are maintained for those Sweetgrass basket makers to preserve and maintain their livelihood.  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 6 of 18 Historical Markers and Oral Histories Mr. Shortridge stated that in reference to historical markers, the only marker that is outstanding is the Greenwich Mill marker. He said he has looked around to see if he is able to find the marker, but has not. He said that he goes out periodically with the app to other locations around the Town, and said that he has been able to find the markers indicated on the app. Mr. Gutowski asked about the status of the Primus tract marker. Mr. Shortridge stated that he was not part of the process, so he is unaware of the status. He thought Mr. Morrissey was more involved in the process. Mr. Morrissey said that he has attempted to contact Doug Bostic to obtain his input as the Commission was working forward on the Christ Church Line. He advised that Mr. Bostic has never responded to him. He said the only time Mr. Bostic responded to him was when there was a change in development and flood ponds and there was a rain event and some had been washed out, and someone in the Planning Department reported it to Mr. Bostic. Mr. Bostic said that he communicated with someone in the Planning Department to find out what damage had been done. He said that other than that, he has had no input from Mr. Bostic. Mr. Gutowski asked if the Commission ever decided on the second marker. Mr. Morrissey said the last discussion was that Mr. Bostic had recommended a Revolutionary War veteran and he was conducting additional research about the Mount Pleasant connection and he was going to write up the narrative for the plaque; however, the Commission has never received it. Mr. Luly said the Primus development is moving forward and other staff members have been assigned to follow up on all the conditions that were placed on this development. He stated that Town staff has requested an update on the status of the marker. He advised staff that  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 7 of 18 he has not received any additional communication in quite some time. He believes staff is addressing the conditions that have not been met and the status. He said that it would be favorable if one of the Commission members reached out to Mr. Bostic. Mr. Morrissey stated that when driving by that area, the neighborhood is not in a position to receive a marker. He said there is no rush to complete this, as the infrastructure needs to be put into place so that it is not damaged by other construction activity. Mr. Gutowski said that he will reach out to Mr. Bostic and request that he attend the next meeting. Mr. Luly stated that the language must be approved by the Historical Commission, as well as work with the State Historic Preservation Office. Mr. Shortridge continued with his Committee Report and said that in the past the Commission has used Avery Institute to conduct oral histories; however, due to their internal re-organization and construction on their building, nothing has been accomplished over the past two years. He stated that he met with Kerry Taylor and Marina Lopez who are professors at the Citadel and have been involved in its oral history program and the Low Country Oral History Alliance. He said that they have an ongoing concern about the oral history program in the Lowcountry and in the state. He said that he asked a series of questions regarding the oral history program. He added that there is a greater alliance here in Charleston that is active in oral histories. He said that there are still individuals who have agreed to do an oral history interview. He was provided with the names of individuals who conduct oral histories and will interview them and find out how much they charge to do an oral history, as well as their background. He said that the Commission may elect to select one of the individuals or perhaps two, if the budget allows. He said they also provided the name of a company that does transcription, or we can have an intern in the summer do the transcription. He said this group does have training available if the Commission would like to train someone within the  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 8 of 18 Town to do oral histories. He said that they are very excited about helping the Historical Commission. He provided the attached letter. Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 9 of 18  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 10 of 18 Mr. Shortridge stated that he is going to interview the three recommended individuals, and is very excited about this project. Quick Fact Fridays and Commission Action Plan Ms. Schless stated that she has updated the Quick Fact Friday (QFF) plan for 2018 in terms of the responsibilities discussed last month and provided each member with a copy. She indicated that she assigned Dr. Ray with two months. She said that some of the information may help Dr. Ray with the process. She said on the back of the first page you will note the allocation made last year and what the topics were, because some topics and themes will be kept this year. She said she would like to have two years of new content and then recycle some after that time. She said she has provided the allocation of responsibility for this year. She said the first QFF for January was to let the reading audience know more about QFF and to ask for their help on new ideas, themes and suggestions for improvement. She said the next one was to help raise readership. She said that Chris Luly and she are still reviewing the stats for last year and will report on it next month. She said that it has not been growing that well. She said looking over time when they first began in June 2015, she said there were approximately 10,000 being sent to email addresses, and in 2017 it is up to approximately 13,700. She said that the distribution is also to all Commission members and Town employees, so she would like to attempt to obtain more detailed information on what is being read by the general public. She said this could be sent out to school groups, businesses, visitor inquiries at the tourist offices, and other areas of interest. She said the timeline is back on the website and thanked Mr. Luly for getting it back up. She said she has not checked to see if all the links work for the sources provided in the plan. She said she will be emailing the information to everyone in order for them to follow the hyperlinks (in blue) throughout the documents to get to information quicker. She asked Commission members to please use the Town’s resources first on the Our History pages of the Town website, as well as the Mount Pleasant Historical website. She said on the last page you will see the new template which  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 11 of 18 had some minor adjustments. She said when using an image, please ensure it is off the Town’s resources or that it does not have a copy write. She stated that she has been attempting to improve the format slightly and discussed including the new Mount Pleasant Historical Commission logo. She said she attempted to incorporate the new logo; however, the colors do not work and she would appreciate some feedback from Commission members. She circulated color copies of a recent QFF and of the logo for their review. Mr. Gutowski stated that he sent an email to Josh Kelley and requested he follow up with the editor of the Moultrie News to see if they are able to do a write up about QFF. Ms. Schless stated that she is going to create a strategy to raise readership of the QFF and asked Mr. Luly if it would be helpful to meet with Ms. Wolfe-Miller to obtain ideas on how to grow the readership. Mr. Luly said that he will work on a time to meet with Ms. Wolfe-Miller and let Ms. Schless know once confirmed. Ms. Schless stated that she noticed that the QFF that went out in December, 20178 went to the 2016 Boards and Commission’s list, which is likely outdated. She asked if it would be possible to separate out the numbers in order to capture the general public numbers. Mr. Luly said that you will likely never achieve close to 100% readership. Ms. Schless stated that she has decided to be aggressive in her distribution of QFF to 20,000 by year end. Mr. Morrissey stated that if Ms. Schless is able to convince the schools to sign up, this would exceed the 20,000. Ms. Schless stated that the schools are a perfect market for this readership, especially upper elementary through high school. She said she would also be asking each Commission member to forward their QFF notifications to 50 people they know. She said that a great deal of effort goes in to writing, formatting and uploading the QFF. She said that they are also attempting to display the QFF that were done in the  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 12 of 18 past onto the Town and Commission websites for school groups and others to look up information. Mr. Gutowski asked if Ms. Schless would do a presentation at next month’s meeting, which will be held at Cario Middle School. Ms. Schless responded in the affirmative. Mr. Brown stated that there is a very viable Boy Scout troop at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church. He works with them, because his grandson is a part of the troop. He said that the majority of the scouts are in middle school. He said he will put the scout master in touch with Ms. Schless, as the scouts were not aware it existed. Ms. Schless stated that this is a good addition to her target market list of employees and businesses in Mount Pleasant, visitors to Mount Pleasant, real estate agencies and agents when selling to new residents and Senior Center and Recreation Department members are some of the target markets. Mr. Macdonald said if Mike Robertson will be giving his presentation, it may also be a good time to do a short presentation on the links to the different history sites, as well as the QFF and Historical Markers. Ms. Schless added that the school does not have internet access. She said that she will do a series of slides on a Power Point presentation that will walk them through the steps. Ms. Schless stated that the link that you follow at the bottom of the QFF to the “Notify Me” page of the Town website to sign up and subscribe, is not visible. Mr. Morrissey stated that the Town’s IT department could put a hyperlink to it directly instead of to the larger list of options. Ms. Schless stated that an account must be set up with the Town first. Mr. Luly said that he would follow up with the IT team. Ms. Schless stated that she would also like to inquire if the previous QFF’s can be made available on the Town’s website and that the stats  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 13 of 18 cover the three areas of distribution (email, Facebook, Twitter) and that she and Mr. Luly will work on this this month, as well as a readership strategy. She stated that the numbers that were provided by Ms. Wolfe- Miller in 2016 had the total number. She said the summer intern obtained the stats from both the email distribution and the social media to include all readership. She asked if there is any feedback from the Commissioners on using the new logo. Mr. Macdonald stated that he did not feel it was a good logo and suggested using what is being used now. Other members agreed. Ms. Schless asked if there should be discussion on the use of the new logo elsewhere. Mr. Gutowski stated that he would like to use the logo on letterhead. Ms. Schless stated that the color of the logo appears to be more washed out than what she recalls when voting on the logo. Ms. Schless stated that in reference to the Commission Action Plan, she believes it is a helpful tool for accountability. She said she emailed it to all Commission members and asked to have them make their edits for their responsible areas. She said there are some issues regarding Committee responsibility areas due to the departure of Trey Harrell and Josh Kelley, who were heading up the Communications area. She said it is an important area to raise awareness of the history of the Town, also about who the Commission is and what we are able to offer to help those learn about the history of the Town. Mr. Gutowski stated that he would like to ask Commission members to help recruit another Commission member to the vacancy left open by Mr. Harrell. Mr. Ray said that he will attempt the Communications role, but would like to request assistance in the interim. Ms. Schless stated that she will work with Mr. Ray on the most pressing issues. She asked if all other members would like to stay with their existing Committee responsibilities.  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 14 of 18 All members responded in the affirmative. Ms. Schless asked Commission members to edit their respective areas of the Action Plan and send them back to her as quickly as possible so she is able to update the action plan. She said that she would like to delete those items that are no longer relevant and clean up the plan. She asked Mr. Luly to provide an update of the budget for the next meeting. She said that the form on the website regarding donations to the Town, is the old form that has been on the website for a number of years. She said that it only addresses requests for photographs, short stories and oral histories. She said that she will print out a copy of the relevant pages of the Town website and make notes, email it to Commission members for their edits, as there are still areas of the website that need cleaning up. She asked if the Commission would still like to do a rack card regarding the Historical Commission. She said that she will work with Mr. Ray on this item to distribute to hotels, visitor centers, Town offices, recreation and senior centers, explaining the rich history of the Town and what the Commission is able to provide in order to learn more about the history. Mr. Macdonald stated that in reference to donations made to the Town, the Legal Department was going to review this and asked if this has been accomplished. Mr. Luly said that he has not had the opportunity to follow up. Ms. Schless asked if Commission members’ input to the Action Plan could be returned to her within a week. Commission members agreed to send back their edits via email to Ms. Schless. VI. General Discussion – Items of Interest Mr. Brown said that he received a great deal of feedback regarding Black History Month and shared it with Mr. Luly. He said that he has the pictures of the current general of South Carolina State and he was not aware that among the 23 generals, one is a female; Brigadier General Towanda E. Young. He said she graduated in the class of 1988. He said  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 15 of 18 that he has been in communication with the first Brigadier General George Price, who was a senior when he was a freshman. He said that he is still attempting to get him to come from Orangeburg, as he will be in Orangeburg on the 3rd of February. He said that he has the addresses and telephone numbers of all of the generals and will follow up to see how many of them will be able to come. He said the problem is funding; however, he will attempt to find donations to make this happen. He said that he has taken care of everything with Claflin University Choir and has solicited funds to feed the choir which has been handled. He said he should have the program from Claflin tomorrow; however, the Commission will need to provide funding to print a program. He said that he has a relationship with Nelson Printers, who does quality work. He said that this is a first class choir who will be providing classical, pop and spiritual music. He said that this is the only other expense. He said that he will obtain the program and take it to the printers for a quote. Ms. Schless asked if three quotes will need to be obtained and if there is enough time. Mr. Luly said that it will need to be a local company and quotes will need to be obtained. He said that he would follow up with his office. Mr. Brown stated that there is a law and it states that depending on the amount, this will determine if you must have three quotes. Mr. Gutowski asked what the budget amount is for Black History Month. He stated that he believes it is $3,500. Ms. Schless stated that it was less than what was requested in the past. Mr. Gutowski said that Claflin is $1,200. Mr. Macdonald moved that the Chairman be authorized to approve the printing of a quality program for that evening if the figure does not exceed $2,000. Mr. Morrissey stated that if the Commission has already gone through a voting process where a budget was dedicated for Black History Month  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 16 of 18 and this is simply a line item, then the expenditure has already been approved ahead of time and these funds can then be allocated. Ms. Schless seconded the motion. All present voted in favor. Mr. Brown stated that he has also been in communication with the local Claflin University Alumni Chairman and provided her with the information and she has been in contact with the other Claflin graduates who reside in the Charleston area. He said that they will also be attending this program. Mr. Gutowski said that St. Andrews is a very nice venue and accommodates approximately 1,000 people. He said that all four events of Black History Month are noteworthy and requested all Commission members to encourage their family and friends to attend as many events as possible. He said that he would like to see the Commission members present. He said former Mayor Page attended one of the events last year. Mr. Gutowski thanked Mr. Brown for all he has done to make Black History Month a success. Mr. Brown said that it is a fact among the three area municipalities, that Mount Pleasant is the only municipality that supports Black History Month. He said Mount Pleasant is unique. He said that his issue is getting his people to attend, because it is their history. Mr. Gutowski said that with all the events over the years at the churches, the parishioners of that church will attend; however, parishioners from other churches will not attend. Mr. Brown said, at his own expense, he has made programs and distributed them to all the black churches in the area, placing them in the hands of the leadership, and they still do not attend. He said that he is going to do it again and attempt to get the ministers to talk about it during the service. He said that if the ministers are convinced, they will convince others. He said that he wants the children to come and he would like for the Sunday School Superintendents to hear the Claflin Choir. He said in the Black churches, they need to hear other types of music other than gospel and spirituals, which is fine, because that is  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 17 of 18 their heritage. He said that the congregations need to be exposed to other types of music. He said that Claflin’s choir will provide this. Mr. Macdonald thanked Mr. Brown for all his efforts. Mr. Brown said that he took flyers to the Senior Center and left them Ms. Schless stated that she would like to remind the Commission that the next Comprehensive Plan meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 30th from 5 pm to 7 pm at Town Hall. Mr. Luly stated that it is an open house and the public is invited. Ms. Schless suggested that someone from the Commission attend. Mr. Macdonald stated that the Commission sent a letter requesting to meet with the Mayor. Mr. Luly stated that the Mayor will likely attend the March Commission meeting since the February meeting will be held off-site. Mr. Macdonald stated that the African American Historical Settlement Commented [H1]: Correct name as per their FB page is Commission will also be meeting with the Mayor and have asked that a “African American Settlement Community Historic Commission” Can you correct this reference throughout representative of the Historical Commission attend. He asked if Mr. these minutes? Gutowski, as Chairman, would be willing to attend. Mr. Gutowski said that Mr. Macdonald should be the one to attend since he is involved with the African American Historical Settlement Commented [H2]: Ditto Commission. Mr. Ray stated that he would also like to attend with Mr. Macdonald. Mr. Gutowski reminded Commission members of the February 8th meeting, which will be held at Cario Middle School. He said that he will let Commission members know, via email, of the scheduled time. He said it will be held in the same room, which is the library. He stated that he is also working with Mr. Brown to get Moultrie Middle School involved. Mr. Morrissey said at the last meeting, Mr. Luly indicated that Ms. Poplin took the quilt and asked if it had been returned. Mr. Luly responded in the affirmative.  Historical Commission January 18, 2018 Page 18 of 18 Mr. Ray said that he is certain everyone saw the nice article in the Moultrie News about Mr. Walter Brown and the Historical Commission. He said that he would like to thank Mr. Brown for his contributions and the Historical Commission for their part, as well. He said there is still much work to be done. He said that the picture and article were very well done and more newspapers need to report on this so that the Commission can push their agenda forward and ensure Mount Pleasant is represented. Mr. Gutowski said that this was accomplished, because one of the outgoing Commission members, Josh Kelley, who handled Communications, worked with the editor of the Moultrie News. He said this is the first time the Commission received great publicity. Mr. Brown said his church had their anniversary and presented Ms. Mary Julia Royall with a small gift. VII. Adjourn Mr. Macdonald moved to adjourn; seconded by Mr. Morrissey. All present voted in favor. There being no further business, meeting adjourned at 9:27 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara Ashe January 18, 2018