Historical Commission

TOWN OF MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL COMMISSION DECEMBER 13, 2108 MINUTES Present: Rick Gutowski, Chair, Heidi Schless, Marc Fountain, Brittany Lavelle- Tulla, Patrick Morrissey, Lonnie Doles. Staff: Katherine Dolan, Lynnette Lynes Mr. Gutowski called the meeting to order at 8:05 am. He asked the reason for having the committee and staff reports. Ms. Dolan answered that this is to be more in line with the other Boards and Commissions. Mr. Morrissey asked about the agenda and noted that he is having trouble accessing the information on the One Drive. Ms. Dolan stated that a detailed agenda with a synopsis of the agenda items was provided to the Commission, which might have caused some confusion. I. Approval of Agenda Mr. Morrissey moved for approval of the agenda. Mr. Fountain seconded the motion. All in favor. II. Approval of Minutes August Minutes and November Minutes Mr. Fountain moved for approval of the minutes. Ms. Lavelle-Tulla seconded the motion. All in favor with Mr. Doles abstaining. III. Public Comment Mr. John Baucom, 1989 Shields Lane, former member of Avery Research Center Board stated that he is attending to see how the Commission functions. He reviewed his family history of settling in Mount Pleasant and that his ancestors had a home design business. IV. Discuss Black History Month Mr. Brown distributed a copy of the agenda for the Black History Month events and reviewed this with the Commission. He stated that he had some difficulty securing venues that delayed finalizing the event line up.  Historical Commission December 13, 2018 Page 2 of 6 Mr. Morrissey stated that he has read the Racial Disparity report and expressed concern with the Commission being in a position of supporting the document as it encourages tribalism and hiring and promoting based solely on race. He suggested that this is not a document that should endorsed by the Commission or the Town. Ms. Schless suggested that there should be a way to steer the discussion without necessarily endorsing the report. Mr. Brown stated that he would work to ensure that there is a healthy, positive discussion on the issue. He stated that if the Commission desired, a different topic could be considered for that date. Mr. Morrissey stated that he wants to ensure that the discussion remains positive. Mr. Brown stated that he wants to bring the issue for discussion to ensure that there is fairness. He referred to an incident with the OVHDC where someone was not allowed to speak and suggested that there should not be the appearance of inequality. Mr. Morrissey moved for approval of the black history month schedule as presented. Ms. Schless seconded the motion. All in favor. V. Committee Reports Ms. Lovelle-Tulla asked when the reports are due and stated that requiring it a week in advance is somewhat burdensome. Ms. Dolan stated that a week lead time is needed in order to have them included with the agenda. Ms. Schless asked about the Commission new member information and suggested that this should be provided for all new members. She also suggested that there should be orientation of new members. Ms. Dolan stated that the information needs to be updated, so she is working on this aspect. Ms. Schless suggested that there should be a transfer of information from members leaving. Ms. Dolan agreed. Mr. Gutowski noted that Ms. Schless is resigning from the Commission because of work obligations.  Historical Commission December 13, 2018 Page 3 of 6 The Board discussed the agenda and bylaws. Ms. Dolan stated that the agenda follows the new format that was adopted for the Town as a whole. Ms. Lynes stated that staff is working revisions to the bylaws for each of the Boards and Commissions so that there is consistency. Mr. Morrissey stated that the bylaws does not speak to committee reports. Ms. Dolan stated that this is a new process being implemented in order to streamline the meetings. Ms. Lavelle-Tulla reviewed progress on the website pages and historical app. She asked that the history video be added to the historical app as well as on the website. She stated that she is meeting with Mr. Robertson regarding the demolition process and how historical homes can be better preserved. She suggested that the history should be preserved as well and that possibly requiring a historical marker might be one way of preserving that history. Mr. Morrissey suggested that those homes identified as historically significant could be preserved. Mr. Brown stated that this has been previously done and suggested that the Commission might already have that purview. Mr. Morrissey asked if staff could research to determine if the Commission already has purview to require preservation of historic homes. Ms. Dolan answered that she is not aware of this being under the Commission’s purview. Ms. Lynes stated that she was not aware that this was included in the ordinance. Mr. Fountain reviewed oral history with the Commission. He stated that he contacted the Avery Research Center, but has not had a response. Mr. Gutowski stated that the Citadel was another possible resource to complete oral histories. He stated that in the past, it was difficult for the Avery Research Center to complete the oral histories because of their busy schedule. Ms. Lavelle-Tulla stated that she has contacted the Alhambra Garden Club as the recipient of the Cresco Award and stated that a presentation would be held at the February Town Council meeting. Ms. Schless stated that this would be her last meeting as she is resigning due to work obligations. She updated the Commission on her tasks. She stated that in terms of the Quick Fact Friday (QFF) posts, it needs to be determined if previous  Historical Commission December 13, 2018 Page 4 of 6 submittals should be repeated or how to proceed with this program now that the initial two-years has been completed. Mr. Gutowski suggested that some of the QFF posts could be repeated. Ms. Schless stated that there is still a lot of historical topics that have not been covered and should be included. He asked if the topics for 2019 have been distributed. Ms. Schless answered in the negative and stated that the program was started for an initial two-years and the Commission needs to determine how to move forward. Mr. Doles stated that he would be willing to work on future QFF posts. Ms. Schless stated that she has been working on having a presence during other historical events such as the Blessing of the Fleet. She stated that she has been updating the Commission’s action plan and tracking progress. Additionally, she has updated the budget items for the Commission. She stated that she is also the liaison for the Cultural, Arts, and Pride Committee. She stated that she has also been responsible for the distribution of the rack cards. Mr. Gutowski stated that there has not been a lot of traction within the schools. She suggested that having the rack cards available for the history teachers and real estate offices. Mr. Doles stated she has distributed some of rack cards as well. Mr. Gutowski asked about reprinting the rack cards. Ms. Dolan answered that there is currently a supply of rack cards that have not been distributed. Mr. Doles stated that he would be willing to distribute some of the rack cards. Ms. Schless stated that another task is the review of meeting minutes. Ms. Dolan stated that the Town is moving to summary minutes, which would reduce the amount of content in the minutes to be reviewed. Mr. Morrissey stated that he is still waiting for an update from Mr. Bostic on the easement negotiations for the Christ Church Line. He stated that he reviewed the draft form for historical donations and suggested that some additional modifications are needed. He stated that the archive room is still being organized. Mr. Gutowski asked about restricting access to the archive room. Ms. Lynes answered that this issue has been resolved. She stated that previously some items  Historical Commission December 13, 2018 Page 5 of 6 were placed in the archive room by Town staff, with the thought that they were archival items. Mr. Morrissey asked about the quote on repair of the older minute books. Ms. Dolan reviewed the quote with the Commission. The Commission discussed repair of the older minute books. Ms. Dolan stated that more work is needed on the minute books than previously thought, so that is one reason for the increase of the quote. Also, the new quote includes more detailed repair work that is needed for the minute books. Mr. Morrissey asked if the quote would change with the new year. Ms. Dolan answered that she was not sure, but would check with the vendor. Mr. Morrissey moved to approve repair of the 1948-1961 minute book up to $430 based on the previous quote as presented in the staff report. Mr. Doles seconded the motion. All in favor. Ms. Lynes noted that doing a portion of the work might incur additional charges for the remainder of the work needed at a later date. Mr. Morrissey answered that he understands this, but would like to have approval for the minimum cost so some work can be completed this fiscal year. Mr. Morrissey stated that he is researching the cost for having a statue cast for Edmund Jenkins for a display in the main lobby. He stated that he has contacted Ms. Pearl Ascue regarding the original arch for Laing School and having that incorporated with the new Home Depot and a historical plaque. Ms. Lynes stated that the arch was required to be included with the building design as part of the Design Review Board (DRB) approval. Mr. Morrissey stated that he is working on the possibility of having a dedication ceremony as well. Mr. Gutowski stated that Mr. Bostic was to provide information for historical markers for the Primus Tract as well. He asked Mr. Baucom to provide history on the Primus tract. Mr. Baucom gave a brief history on the Primus Tract. Ms. Lavelle- Tulla stated that she could provide information on the issue as well. Mr. Gutowski asked Mr. Doles to give a brief biography for the Commission. Mr. Doles provided a brief biography for the Commission and stated that he looks forward to working with the Commission.  Historical Commission December 13, 2018 Page 6 of 6 VI. Staff Update Ms. Dolan briefly reviewed her report with the Commission. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:40 am. Submitted by, L. Lynes HistComsn12132018