HomeMy WebLinkAboutHistorical Commission 08-21-19
HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Dennis Wright
Greenmead Historical Park
MAYOR
20501 Newburgh Road
Livonia, Michigan 48152
Linda McCann
(248) 477-7375 DIRECTOR
Fax (248) 426-8568
Emily Tchorz
PROGRAM SUPERVISOR
Community Resources Department
33000 Civic Center Drive
Livonia, Michigan 48154-3097
(734) 466-2540
Livonia Historical Commission
August 21, 2019
The voting meeting was called to order by Stephanie Miner at the Alexander Blue
House at 6:32 PM.
Present: Carrie Budzinski, Mary Cambridge, Nancy Frye, Lindsey Hakala, Barbara
Mansfield, Stephanie Miner, Gary Pritchard, Sandi Pritchard.
Absent: Deanna Brown.
Other Attendees: Emily Tchorz.
I. Review and approval of minutes: Nancy Frye, Secretary
May 15, 2019 Voting and June 19, 2019 Non-voting minutes reviewed. Motion 2019-
08-01: Barbara Mansfield made a motion to approve the minutes and Sandi Pritchard
seconded it. Minutes approved unanimously.
II. Treasurer’s Reports: Mary Cambridge, Treasurer
The June 2019 report was presented.
Income: Hinbern sales ($160.25), Church rentals ($400), Meeting House rentals
($810), Hill House rentals ($187.50), Donations ($200), Tours ($83) Flea Market
($5265). Total: $7105.75.
Expenses: Wedding supervisors ($155), Meeting House supervisors ($95), Office
($495), Supplies-gardeners ($200). Total: $945.
Net profit: $6160.75.
The July 2019 report was presented.
Income: Hinbern sales ($1015.75), Geer store sales ($40), Church rentals ($1300),
Meeting House rentals ($380), Donations ($517), Tours ($144.55), Flea Market
($15902.45), Irish Tea ($710), Irish Fest ($7634), Knightsbridge ($20). Total:
$27,663.75.
Expenses: Wedding supervisors ($160), Meeting House supervisors ($40), supplies
flea market and Irish Fest /tea ($1830.37) Total expenses: $2030.31.
Net profit: $25,633.44.
III. Reports: Commissioners reports of activities, building reviews, participation:
Chairman's report (Stephanie Miner)
Walked around grounds. Noted work done and some work needed.
Deanna Brown: Picked out new Commissioner Nametags with N. Frye.
Carrie Budzinski: Organized and ran Story time in the School in both June and July.
Attended Touch a Truck. Brainstormed some ideas for Halloween Walk with M. Casey.
Mary Cambridge: 36.5 hours in June working Flea Market, cleaning up print shop and
organizing photos. 15 hours in July working in Church and Hinbern basements.
Nancy Frye: Picked out new Commissioner Nametags with D. Brown.
Lindsey Hakala: Toured all houses. Reading Kingsley book.
Barbara Mansfield: Finished up flea market work. Worked two tour Sundays.
Worked Highland Games, starting Fall flea market prep. Set up Historical Society
picnic--92 members now.
Sandi Pritchard: Worked Highland Games
IV. Greenmead Supervisor report: Emily Tchorz
a. Maintenance Update:
- Greenhouse: Moving along slowly but steady. Historic restoration has
proven more difficult than they expected. Project Manager staying on top of
things. Opening TBD.
- Church Windows: Waiting for third quote. Second, Canterbury Stained
Glass—pricing very different from number 1. $4000 per window. Waiting for
Baxter Glass quote. Need to look at all 3 to compare scope and price. Time
blocked out in January to start repair.
- DUR door: Finished Aug 21. Made custom door—faster for contractor
but we paid for standard door.
- Window repair: Bungalow done.
- South Barn roof: Began on August 19.
- Kingsley porch: Repaired – worst sections done. Paint tomorrow. Long
term may need a rebuild.
- Roof Repair:
-- Hinbern on Council Consent agenda Aug 26. Hope to have done
before winter.
-- Bungalow is next on the list now. Have some water leaking.
Spring 2020. Will keep eye on if it needs tarping.
- Railings:
-- Hinbern hand rail sat on and broken during Highland games,
ordered wood and repaired Aug 21.
-- Church front railing – scraped and repainted. Sunday school
porch needs repair. Looking for estimate.
- Print shop has a/c. To preserve the paper archives. Rochelle Danquah
has been working to organize our paper archives.
- DUR platform and railroad ties rotten and disposed of. Measured it so
we can recreate it before winter. Lots of bees.
- Barb Gamber—doing Hill House porch painting. Will also do back porch
of bungalow.
- Farmhand ramp handrails painted—work crew and Vaughn.
- Front of Geer store window frames rotting. Randy Klepinger will do
emergency work. $4500. Will use safety glass—not historical but
necessary. Don't want any cuts due to falling or broken glass. Want to
do this fall as windows are close to falling out of frames. Awaiting quote.
b. Boy scouts:
Phillip—going to repair drainage tiles around Hinbern. Getting another
Eagle Scout to do the sidewalk repair there
Jacob—will repaint white fence around ABH.
c. Rental Income to Date (2019 FY):
Church: $8255
Meeting House: $4885.
d. Budget Status of the Trust Fund: $192,829.74 is available. This excludes
$6,643.18 held in a restoration account for the church windows and $128,484.80 in the
trust being held for the Greenhouse, schoolhouse, and south barn work. Preservation
funds held in the Trust: $4631.90. We still have $4610.27 in city funds left this year.
Items we could look at: Print shop black out shades, bungalow laundry room shades,
Hill house upstairs parlor small side light shades. Dish room in Hill also needs a shade.
Dehumidifiers? Buy an ad in Christmas Walk book, laptop, Volunteer appreciation gifts.
Other ideas and these to be voted on next month.
V. Review of Events & Planning for Future Events:
Livonia Story Time, June 20, 2019: Small turn out, 20 people, due to rain. July
story time was a sunny day and we had 43 people out. The schoolhouse was packed.
They read a story and did a craft. May look at doing a fall story time, but for sure want
to start up in Spring. Maybe monthly.
Sunday tours, June 30 and July 14, 2019: Good, no issues.
Touch a truck, July 28, 2019: Lots of noise but we made $198 in water sales.
Highland Games, Aug 3, 2019: Good turn-out. Over 200 came to the gift shop.
AMC Car Show, Aug 18, 2019: Made $250. Rained. Two people in training as
docents shadowed experienced tour guides.
Livonia Historical Society Picnic, Aug 19, 2019: Good food, good time.
Fall Flea Market, Sept 8, 2019: Wanted to ensure everyone understood the
letter that went out to vendors: No weapons or toy guns or anything that looks like it.
This includes any munitions that are marked inert. No knives, darts, etc.
Livonia Historical Society Meeting, Sept 16, 2019: Topic: Rum running and
bathtub gin, November meeting will have speaker on Faygo.
Historical Baseball Game, Sept 22, 2019: Time TBD, Will be in field by barns.
th
Guns and Gowns, Sept 28-29, 2019: Set up 27.
Civil War Lunch, Sept 28, 2019: Preservation run. $30 ticket. Jan Whitcomb to
speak on civil war gardening.
VI. Additional Business & Action Items:
US Flag replacement at ABH: LHS took up a collection and will buy it.
Publicity: All felt C. Budzinski should have Facebook access to create events.
She can Include Historical Society information.
Volunteer Appreciation Celebration for 2019: Will be held January 22, 2020. C.
Budzinski to check with caterer and book event. 4-6:30. N. Frye to research insulated
tote bags as the thank you gift. Will want to order 120-150. Can sell left overs in the gift
shop.
.
Possible events for next year: Outdoor movies, pony or horse rides, traveling
petting farm, coloring day, star gazing, knitting day, old school picnic, childrens tea,
Garden party, Derby day, use Fire Truck, appraisal fair.
C. Budzinski and L. Hakala will research to set up a childrens/Frozen tea in early
2020, perhaps February. Will report back at next meeting for details and vote.
N. Frye will ask Livonia Garden Club if they want to do a joint fundraiser using
the Greenhouse next spring after it is reopened.
Discussion was held on how we should showcase rental opportunities at
Greenmead. Pictures, prices, number of people for the rental facilities could be
available on our web site. C. Budzinski will mock something up for discussion/vote in
September
B. Mansfield brought up the issue that the Gift shop needs revitalizing. Needs
discussion in September.
B. Mansfield informed us the Historical Society will be sorting out papers in
basement of Hinbern.
The next official, voting meeting will be Wednesday Sept 18, 2019.
Adjournment: Motion 2019-08-02: N. Frye made the motion to adjourn the meeting and
B. Mansfield seconded it. Approved unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at
8:39.
Respectively submitted,
Nancy Frye