Newbury Historical Commission, Meeting Minutes 8/8/12 - Page 1 of 3
NEWBURY HISTORICAL COMMISSION
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012
Call to Order
A regular monthly meeting of the Newbury Historical Commission was held at the Newbury Town Library on Wednesday, August 8, 2012. The meeting convened at 6:42 PM.
Those in attendance were: Chris Drelich, Channing Howard, Nancy Thurlow, and Bill Towne. Sue Nagle, Marcia Peirce, and Barbara Rogers were absent.
Approval of Minutes
The draft minutes of the 7/11/12 meeting were presented and New Business item #2c was amended to reflect that Nancy raised the postcard/notecard initiative and that Chris will look into pricing. Bill Towne made a motion to approve the minutes as amended.
The motion carried with a unanimous vote.
Old Business
1. Larkin Mill:
Because Channing was absent for the July 11, 2012 HC meeting, he wanted to reiterate what was discussed back at the Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, June 13, 2012. These
are the same items that Barbara Rogers discussed at the July 11 HC meeting when she presided over the meeting in Channing’s absence:
a. Tim Leonard is supposed to be taking our three identified “save” pieces of
machinery from the mill and moving them to the DPW Garage for safe keeping.
b. The Town does not want to go ahead on a historical display on the site until they
survey the lot to see if the land is sellable.
c. There are no proceeds from the sale of the scrap metal. Apparently it was an
oversight in the town’s contract with Pearson’s.
[taken from minutes of the HC meeting on July 11, 2012]
Channing added the following:
d. Selectman Joe Story indicated that there is no money for extra initiatives
such as this, and he expressed uncertainty as to how far a historical
display project would get.
e. Selectman Chuck Bear, as a member of the surplus real estate committee,
is coordinating the project to see whether or not the land is sellable. The
discussion would then technically move to the Open Space Committee.
f. Channing also discussed the Schoolhouse open houses and our request for
photos (especially ones showing the missing sign from the East side of the
building). Newbury Historical Commission, Meeting Minutes 8/8/12 - Page 2 of 3
2. Demolition Delay Bylaw
a. Bill Towne suggested that we revisit the issue of a Demolition Delay Bylaw. Chris went back in the minutes and announced that the last time it was discussed was at the March 14, 2012 HC meeting.
b. It was decided to make the Demolition Delay Bylaw a top agenda item at the
September meeting of the HC.
c. Channing will contact Town Planner Martha Taylor to see if the Planning Board
will meet with the HC this fall to discuss options.
d. Nancy raised a question whether or not old stone walls (some of which
delineate property lines) could be incorporated into a Demolition Delay Bylaw.
3. Schoolhouse:
a. Chris has gotten a commitment from Evelyn LaBel, costumier with Boston
Children’s Theatre, to restore the Alvah Whitney mannequin’s face. He will
coordinate the project with Ms. LaBel.
b. Channing has a contact if we would like additional mannequins for the
schoolhouse. We discussed the possibility of one or two schoolchildren to
sit in the desks and a male teacher (e.g. Luther Dame). Channing will find
out more information on what’s available.
c. Nancy is still looking for size 9 period shoes for the Whitney mannequin.
4. Souvenirs / Small Items:
a. Those present at the meeting agreed that we should move ahead with the
creation of notecards (greeting cards without an inside message) and postcards
to be sold at the Schoolhouse. Chris brought prices. The project should come in at around $200.
Motion: A motion was made by Bill Towne for the HC to create:
one hundred (100) 4”x6” postcards of the Schoolhouse interior,
one hundred (100) 4”x6” postcards of the Schoolhouse exterior,
and one-hundred-fifty (150) 4”x6” notecards of the exterior.
The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Chris will be in charge of photographing the interior and exterior and ordering
the cards.
5. Trails and Sails 2012:
a. Trails and Sails is set for Saturday, September 22 with walking tours at 10am,
1pm, and 3pm of the Lower Green Schoolhouse, First Settlers Burial Ground,
and the Jackman-Willett House.
b. Nancy Thurlow and Bill Towne volunteered to cover tours of the Schoolhouse.
Chris Drelich and Channing Howard volunteered to walk the guests from site
to site. We still need someone to volunteer for the Burial Ground. There is coverage at the Jackman-Willett House.
c. We will finalize plans at the September meeting. Newbury Historical Commission, Meeting Minutes 8/8/12 - Page 3 of 3
New Business
1. Archiving / Files:
a. Chris purchased archival folders and storage materials to better organize the holdings of the HC. The total cost of items was $143.97.
Motion: A motion was made by Bill Towne to reimburse Chris $143.97 for the
items, to be taken from the HC Gift Fund.
The motion carried with a unanimous vote.
2. Receiving of a Gift
An historic framed lithograph of a timeline of presidents of the United States with
key events in our nation’s history was donated to the Historical Commission by Mrs. Edward Towne, Bill’s mother. Bill has brought it to the Schoolhouse where we will
hang it in an appropriate spot. Chris will send a thank you note on behalf of the HC.
3. Naming a Treasurer
Although the HC has been operating without a named treasurer, Chris has been tracking monies received and spent, as well as depositing donations from the Schoolhouse.
Motion: A motion was made by Nancy Thurlow to change Chris Drelich’s position from Clerk to Clerk/Treasurer.
The motion carried with a unanimous vote.
Chris will follow up at the Town Clerk’s office to be sure the change is made in their records.
4. 350th Commemorative Coins
We are unsure of the status of the 350th Anniversary coins. Barbara and Nancy were
going to Town Hall to count them but found out they had already been counted when
they arrived. Chris will follow up with the Town Clerk’s office.
Adjournment
The next meeting of the Historical Commission was confirmed for Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at 6:30 PM at the Newbury Town Library.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:35 PM.
Christopher Drelich 9/12/12
Christopher Drelich, Date of approval
Clerk/Treasurer
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