HomeMy WebLinkAboutHistorical Commission 10-20-2021
HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Maureen Miller Brosnan
Greenmead Historical Park
MAYOR
20501 Newburgh Road
Livonia, Michigan 48152
Edward Davis
(248) 477-7375 SUPERINTENDENT
Fax (248) 426-8568
Emily Tchorz-Fielder
PROGRAM SUPERVISOR
Department of Parks and Recreation
15100 Hubbard
Livonia, Michigan 48154-3586
(734) 466-2900
HISTORICAL COMMISSION
CITY OF LIVONIA
VOTING MEETING OF OCTOBER 20, 2021
6:30 P.M. ALEXANDER BLUE HOUSE
Present: Mary Cambridge, Diann Dupuis, Lindsey Hakala,
Absent: Deanna Brown,
Other Attendees: Maureen Casey
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:40 p.m. by D. Dupuis.
I. Review of Correspondence – None
II. Review of Minutes
a. September Voting Minutes
Motion 1001: L. Hakala made a motion to approve as noted, M. Cambridge
seconded. It was unanimously approved.
III. Treasurer’s Report
a. September Report
i. Income: $14650.77
ii. Expenses $2646.00
iii. Preservation $6972.75
b. Received $1000 donation from Richmond Simmons
IV. Commissioner’s Report of Activities in September:
a. Diann Dupuis
i. Worked about 15 hours: Flea market help, researching items; Civil
War Tea
b. Mary Cambridge
i. Worked about 50 hours: Flea market, Hinbern basement sorting,
went through music sheets in Bungalow, priced some jewelry
V. Greenmead 365:
a. Prepared 5 “Big Questions” to ask
b. Started putting together proposals for Focus Group
i. Must meet certain requirements (age, kids, location, activities, etc.)
VI. Review of Events:
a. Civil War Tea (Sept. 25) – Judith Coebly, is amazing and doesn’t charge
us; good reviews for food, etc.; some people had harder time hearing;
advertising could have been better
b. “The Truth is Powerful, it Prevails”: Abolitionism in Livonia Township in the
Nineteenth Century (Sept. 29) – Rochelle spoke to this as part of the One
City, One Book series; very thorough, used very solid, primary sources
only
c. Harvest Festival (Oct. 9-10) – HOLY MUD! First time through this, worked
with multiple groups and that was a challenge given how many times the
site plan was changed (up to the arrival of vendors); one of the garbage
trucks drove into the yard and barely missed the sprinkler system; Hill
House and Farmhand House were open and the response was great; had
some vendors show up and set up late; signage was mislabeled as
“Barbecue Fest”; Alcohol selections were sad; Timing was great; LPS did
family photos concurrently, worked out really well
d. The Dearborn Independent (Virtual) (Oct. 19) – Dr. Cangany from the
Jewish Historical Society of Michigan spoke about newspaper printed by
Henry Ford, these articles are still being referenced; Dr. Cangany only
used primary sources for information
e. Murder Mystery – Food was good; instructions from actors needed to be
more clear. Someone expected real Champagne.
VII. Upcoming Events:
a. Halloween Walk, Oct. 22-23 – Sold out! Buildings have various themes:
Bats, Pumpkins, Skeletons, Ghosts, Spiders, Witches, etc. (Some owls
and lanterns are missing?)
b. Highland Tea, Nov. 6 – Floor plan to be changed as it’s too difficult to deal
with the “cross” setup; dance floor to be more central so it’s easier to see
c. Life When It’s Snowy, Nov. 13 – Preschool program; Lisa from Huron
Metro Parks will talk about how animals survive the winter
d. Treasures from Grandma’s Attic, Nov. 19-20 – Changing slightly:
everyone can get one table and the Greenmead area will be smaller; more
advertising will happen
e. Santa Stroll, Dec. 4 – Will be ran slightly different; three check-in sessions
(100 people each, $5 resident, $8 non-resident); people will be able to go
inside, Santa will be there for pictures; will have reindeer and (llamas?
Donkies?)
VIII. Maintenance Report
a. Bungalow
i. New rear door being made (bottom rotted out); preservation
approved more time-period appropriate door
ii. Will be adding new three panel asphalt roof
b. Kingsley – Replacing west basement windows (showing a lot of rot)
c. North Barn – Door is done but track is backordered
d. Blue – Ramp to kitchen is currently out to bid on MITN (not sure of
concrete or trex yet)
IX. New Business:
a. What programs/activities would the commission like to offer in 2022?
i. Discussed some ideas at September meeting
X. Vision21 Goals: What do we focus on first and how do we accomplish the
goal?
a. Engage visitors in positive learning experiences about Livonia’s history
through tours and programming.
b. Expand outreach to schools, libraries, and non-profits through
presentations, publications, or traveling exhibits.
c. Develop exhibits to reach a broader audience and attract new visitors to
Greenmead.
d. Transfer documentation of artifacts from paper to digital records utilizing
Past Perfect and providing online access to our archives.
XI. Walk-On Items:
a. Diann went to Volunteer Breakfast yesterday; “We have to make sure
we’re all rowing in the right direction” – Mayor Brosnan
i. Four goals: Safety, Building a Workforce for Tomorrow, Fixing the
Roads, Advancing Vision21
ii. City is developing a non-discriminate policy
iii. Dream Big
iv. Parks & Rec – We have the largest public park space in Metro
Detroit (outside Detroit)
v. Gave a “Heart of Livonia” award to Jason Adams (pastor at The
Way Church) for the first time
b. Volunteer Appreciation Dinner – we’ve done it in the past, would we like to
do it again?
i. Possibly do it in two sessions
ii. Host it in January; 11/12 or 25/26
iii. Coffee & desserts, individually plated; Commissioners to serve
Adjournment: L. Hakala made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:45 p.m. and M.
Cambridge seconded it. It was unanimously approved.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Alexander Blue House