HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-10-14Historical Preservation Committee
Minutes
October 14, 2019
CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Suzy McCormick called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. at the Euless City Hall, Euless. She extended a welcome to the members and visitors.
MEMBERS PRESENT Doris Brown, Al Browning, Bill Byers, Joe Cannon, Barbara Collier, Gary Fieldsend, James Fuller, Mary Hunt, Norma Lively, Marilyn Long, Don Martin, Suzy McCormick, Anniece McKanna, Gary Parker, Helen Payton, Linda Pool, Faye Stinneford, Peggy Vandiver, Helen Voss, Andy Weinzapfel, and Mavy Wright.
STAFF PRESENT Parks and Community Services Projects Coordinator Ofa Faiva-Siale.
VISITORS PRESENT Tim and Alisha Taylor; and Mark Favorite, brother of Doris Brown.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES Helen Voss made a motion to accept the minutes, Andy Weinzapfel seconded the motion. After unanimous approval, Chairperson McCormick stated the motion carried.
TREASURER’S REPORT Treasurer Mavy Wright reported the balance from September 9 was $11,367.31; $25 was received from the money jar; the balance as of October 14 is $11,392.31.
STATUS OF CURRENT PROJECTS 1. Docents and Volunteer Report/Recruitment—Linda Pool distributed signup sheets for Open Houses for November and December. She expressed appreciation to the members for their participation at the October open house. There were twenty visitors during the October open house.
2. Acquisition—Bill Byers had no report. Joe Cannon donated one baby bootie that belonged to his mother Jessie Mae Ferris Cannon who was born in 1901. The Acquisition committee will obtain photos and donation form for the item and give them to staff to log into PastPerfect.
3. Facebook— Linda Pool mentioned posts are still being made on Facebook to solicit visitors to the museum. Assistant to the City Manager Betsy Deck and her aide are posting the pictures and videos. The page is attracting more and more shares which is spurring interest from people who live out of our area. The posts are also being shared on other Facebook groups.
4. Plaque—Faye Stinneford stated the plaque has been updated and there are no new updates at this time.
5. Display Signs—Mavy Wright will be working with staff on signs for her family display.
6. Publicity/Program/Speakers—Mavy Wright mentioned a couple who were relatives of Elisha Adam Euless who visited the museum in September. She read a letter of gratitude received from the couple. Mrs. Wright and other Committee members attended the Tabernacle Dedication and meeting at Calloway Cemetery on October 5. She reported on an encounter with Louise Scoggins (a 90-year old woman from Waxahachie) who was very knowledgeable of Euless history and of the silver teapot which is on display in the museum. No program is planned for November or December, but it was suggested Ms. Scoggins be invited to be a potential future guest speaker.
7. Historical Albums—Marilyn Long indicated work on the albums is progressing well. She will continue to seek input to identify photos by bringing photos to the monthly meetings. A suggestion was made to post the photos on Facebook for community assistance. Another thought was to see if the HEB-ISD might still have names of students from the years in question.
8. Heritage Park—Gary Parker had no report. Mavy Wright stated the foundation of the Fuller House has been done and the City will begin working on the wallpaper. Linda Pool expressed appreciation for the repairs made to the Player Piano. Gary Parker said there were detailed instructions and a demonstration video; the video will be sent to Ofa Faiva-Siale and she will email the video to the committee. Helen Payton added that the former repairman was no longer available, and a repairman for the Victrola has not been located.
9. Artifact Recovery—Andy Weinzapfel mentioned his continued interest in research and artifact detection in the Mosier Valley area. His objectives are to revisit the St. John Missionary Baptist Church, continue pursuit of information from the community regarding their history, revival of metal detection project, and assisting with items for a museum display. Gary Fieldsend stated he remembers seeing photos regarding Mosier Valley and will look for them in his emails so they can be shared.
10. Historical Tree Program—Andy Weinzapfel expressed the need for grafts from the trees located on the Euless-Trigg Cotton Gin location and from the grove in the McCormick Park in hopes of retaining the DNA from these historic trees.
11. Inventory—Barbara Collier said she and Mary Hunt are continuing to locate and photograph items in the museum.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Chairperson McCormick advised the committee meeting on December 9 will be held at the Texas Star Golf Course.
STAFF REPORT
Ofa Faiva-Siale confirmed the files from Weldon Cannon are now on the City website and Mr. Cannon is aware. Mr. Cannon indicated he may not be able to attend many more future meetings.
COMMITTEE REPORT/INPUT Mary Hunt expressed appreciation to member James Fuller for joining us after the long drive from Houston. Al Browning suggested the need for seeing an update to the project list even though many of the projects have either been completed or are still in process. A discussion ensued regarding the cost to purchase new cabinets in the museum in order to provide uniformity and future artifact displays, previous cost estimates, options for the structure of the cabinets, and the search for vendors. It was mentioned that each cabinet cost about $900 each. Some members preferred the current cabinets as is, some felt perhaps a couple should be replaced, others felt the cabinets were too expensive while some felt costs were reasonable. It was decided that Gary Parker will acquire three quotes for similar cabinets like those already in the museum for the committee’s review. Mrs. Voss knows a cabinet maker and she will contact him for a quote as well. There was also a brief discussion as to the status and future use of the Blacksmith Shop. Al Browning thought the Blacksmith Shop should be used more since the committee requested it be build. It was suggested that perhaps tools and some video demonstration display could be installed inside and keep it open for public tours. Some members were worried about damage to the artifacts due to the leaking roof. Suzy McCormick mentioned that the City is looking into a couple of things for the Blacksmith Shop. Don Martin has photos of the progression of the Founder’s Parc development on the northeast corner of FM157/SH10. Members who worked open house reported that the Fuller House had a really strong odor and asked if staff can look into the issue. Staff will take care of the problem.
ADJOURNMENT Faye Stinneford made a motion to adjourn the meeting and was seconded by Helen Voss. After unanimous approval, Chairperson Suzy McCormick adjourned the meeting at 11:15 a.m. Respectfully submitted by: Anniece McKanna, Committee Secretary