Town of East Windsor
East Windsor Historical Commission
11 Rye Street
Broad Brook, CT 06016
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DRAFT
Minutes –April 10, 2008
A regular meeting of the East Windsor Historical Commission was held on Thursday, April 10, 2008 at the East Windsor Town Hall located at 11 Rye Street, Broad Brook, CT.
The meeting was called to order at 6:35 P.M.
I. A quorum was not established. John Stanat, Paul Scannell and Marilyn Butenkoff were absent.
II. The minutes for 2007 and February of 2008 were reviewed. Corrections need to be made for approval.
III. Correspondence included:
a. Community Day Application
b. Informational Letter about Barn grants from the Preservation Trust
c. National Historic Preservation Trust Dues Reminder. Payment is due in June of 2088.
d. Application to be a part of the Fund for Preserving Jefferson’s Gardens and Landscapes. Application fee is $25.
e. Brochure: Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation Annual Meeting to be held April 28, 2008 at the Hillstead Museum in Farmington, CT.
f. 2 Brochures: New England Historic Home Show at Sturbridge Village
g. Membership Acceptance for Forum News
h. Letter from a member of the Board of Finance about the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation Annual Meeting
i. Connecticut Preservation Trust News
j. E-mail from Rand Stanley about Historic Restoration Funding Grants
k. Memo from First Selectman Denise Menard about Brenda Lucy calling her office. Ms. Lucy owns the land bordering the District 12 Schoolhouse. The chair returned Ms. Lucy’s call on April 2, 2008 and left a message on her voicemail.
IV. Added Agenda items: None
V. Old Business:
a. District 12 Schoolhouse: The chair has not heard back from the consultant, Mr. William Gould. However, it is important that the commission walk the neighborhood. The chair is not available to do this during May. Michael Hunt and Peter stated that they would help. Paul Scannell stated in the past that he would also assist. The commission needs to put together a document and/or a petition to gain support from the community. Also, it is important to find individuals in the neighborhood to serve a permanent preservation committee. The Melrose Schoolhouse currently has a board committee and trustees. The committee has funds invested in money market accounts
and they do all of the schoolwork themselves. The Melrose Schoolhouse building is used for community activities. Some similar format will need to be followed by the committee formed for the District 12 Schoolhouse. Also, the District 12 Schoolhouse can be used for community activities as well.
b. Melrose Historic District: The chair met with the consultant at her office in Middletown. The chair brought her the street cards of the properties involved, however, she will need all the street cards for every property on the entire street. The consultant is important to this project because she will complete the application, do all of the writing, present the application in Hartford, complete the mapping of the district, and do the photography work. The citizens involved are committed to this project. Also, while an official committee has not been formed, they do have a bank account with Webster Bank. The Melrose Historic District benefits the town by
preserving the buildings in perpetuity for the town and contributing to scenic road development. If the Historic District is in place, then that section of Melrose Road will be eligible to become a scenic road. Currently, the project is taking more time due to the reorganizing of the Connecticut Historic Commission and the Board of Culture and Tourism.
c. Budget: The chair attended the Board of Finance meeting on March 19, 2008. Firstly, the Historic Commission was not on the agenda although the chair had been given a memo from the First Selectman’s office with that date highlighted. Secondly, the Board of Finance repeatedly referred to the Historical Commission as the Historical Society. The chair and the Board of Finance discussed the proposals set forth, namely the District 12 Schoolhouse and the Melrose Historic District. The chair informed the Board of Finance that this years budget is twice as much as usual because no money was approved in last years budget. The chair was chastised by the
Board for entering into contracts without money available. The chair pointed out that both proposals had been discussed at length for years. Also, the chair noted that the contract with the consultant for the District 12 Schoolhouse can assist the commission in obtaining grants collectively worth up to $250,000.00. The chair stated that it looked as though the Board would support the District 12 Schoolhouse, however, the Melrose District may not be supported. If the Melrose Schoolhouse is not supported, then the chair will ask for donations from two sources. If they do not respond then the chair will use her own funds for the proposal.
VI. New Business:
a. Community Day: Community Day will be held on May 10th. The theme for this year is “Healthy Environment and Healthy Lifestyles”. The deadline for the application is April 11, 2008. In previous years, the commission has used themes revolving around barns in town, information on the Smithsonian’s “Barn Again” exhibit, historic schoolhouses, and a slideshow of historic properties. Theme ideas for the commission’s booth this year included farming. The commission could display pictures of farms in East Windsor in the past. Also, the chair has props from the Thompson Farm available for display. Also, the
commission could possibly use the idea of farming in town to promote the need for food at the town’s Foodshelf. This could tie into a promotion of the idea to rehabilitate the Warehouse Point Grammar School since this is the site of the Foodshelf. Also, a possible connection between rural schoolhouse and farming could be examined. The Historic Commission and the Historical Society may have booths next to each other. This would allow Michael Hunt to assist with both booths. Also, the recording secetary will assist. The commission has amonth to pull an idea together for display. Mr. Edward Farrel of the Select Board was present at the meeting. He suggested that the commission needs to market itself better to the town and to the town government. Community Day can be a venue for this. The commission needs to show its objectives and plans for the town, the wants and needs of the committion, and how and why this benefits the town. The main idea is to get people interested in what
the commission is doing. The chair explained the history of the commission to Mr. Farrell. She explained the commissions past dealings with the town government, the history of the commission’s projects and the history of the District 12 Schoolhouse. The chair requested that the recording secretary distribute Mr. Farrell’s address, phone number and e-mail to all commission members. She also requested that Mr. Farrell be given the commission’s policy and procedures booklet. Mr. Farrell stated that he will assist the commission in writing a letter to the Board of Selectman outlining their objectives for the District 12 Schoolhouse.
b. Communications with Select Board: The secretary completed a draft letter proposing the name change of the Commission to the “East Windsor Historic Preservation Commission”. This is because many people confuse the commission with the Historical Society. It was noted that another Charter Revision Committee is being formed and this can be addressed with them.
VII. Added Agenda items: None.
VIII. Adjournment:. Adjourned at 8:06 P.M.
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