 |
TOWN OF SOUTH WINDSOR
MINUTES
TOWN COUNCIL WORK SESSION
COUNCIL CHAMBERS MARCH 18, 2002
SOUTH WINDSOR TOWN HALL 7:00 P.M.
1. Call Meeting to Order
Mayor Aman called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Members Present: Mayor William Aman
Deputy Mayor Matthew Streeter
Councillor Paul Burnham
Councillor Deborah Fine
Councillor Edward Havens
Councillor Marianne Lassman Fisher
Councillor John Pelkey
Members Absent: Councillor Barbara Barbour
Councillor Thomas Delnicki
Also Present: Town Manager Matthew B. Galligan
Town Attorney Barry D. Guliano
3. Public Participation - None
4. Communications - None
5. Town Manager's Report - None
6. Items for Discussion
A. Report from John A. Woods, Appraisers on War Memorabilia Collection (See attached Exhibit A)
Mr. Woods began his presentation by explaining that South Windsor resident Bruce Harvey has, for a number of years, collected war memorabilia, which he has stored in his condominium.
Mr. Woods spoke of the
He then explained that an appraiser determines the value of a collection through comparable sales. After looking at the collection, he/she reviews specialized magazines that sell material relative to such a collection and also looks at internet sellers. After looking at the individual items for sale, the appraiser determines how the collection relates in terms of the market.
Councillor Lassman Fisher asked what there was about this collection that drove it to such a high value, and Mr. Woods explained that it was the market value
Mr. Woods said that he was asked to come up with a basis, the cost to purchase the collection in terms of what Mr. Harvey purchased, and the estimated cost was $60,000. He said Mr. Harvey had provided receipts, which were run through an Excel program to identify, and that he was able to correlate most, but not all, of the receipts with the material.
According to Mr. Woods, it is a fluctuating market, and the value at a given time depends upon the popularity of military material.
Mr. Woods advised that, since Mr. Harvey is continuing to collect material, the items should be matched to the inventory list when the Town takes possession of the collection. He noted that the Town will have to decide how to pack the material, what to show, and where to show it. Also, the security of the material when it is being shown will have to be determined. If the collection is moved around to be shown in various places, Mr. Woods suggested that an individual would need to stand near it.
He advised the Town to decide what the limits of the collection will be; if it is to be
When asked whether he thought people would pay an admission to see this material, Mr. Woods said that sometimes a suggested donation works better.
Atty. Guliano reported that a meeting has been scheduled with Mr. Harvey to set up a closing for the collection now that the appraisal report was completed. Title has not passed because the purchase price needed to be determined. Atty. Guliano said that there is still paperwork to be provided by Mr. Harvey since there are a few items which are owned by Mr. Harvey
Mr. Galligan said that suggestions have been made by Council members with regard to storage locations for the collection. Requests are being submitted to various legislators regarding the availability of grants. Mr. Woods spoke about the preservation of certain items, as well as the fragility of others. Councillor Lassman Fisher said that she originally believed that the collection could be moved around to be shown, in adition to having one site. However, she had come to believe that this would be a liability to the Town.
Mr. Woods recommendation was that the collection be stored in a temporary location so that it could be examined, while a decision could be made as to those items which should be displayed. That could be done on a rotating basis until a permanent location was found. Because of the magnitude of the collection, he didn't feel that it could all be displayed at once. He said that the entire collection would require space the size of a soccer field. In terms of packing the collection, he felt that more than 200 boxes (3´ x 3´ x 2´) would be required.
Mr. Woods explained that items in display cases could be rolled into various locations as long as the Town had liability coverage. He again noted the issue of security and advised that in this type of scenario items should be viewed, but not removed from the cases.
Councillor Lassman Fisher said she assumed that Mr. Woods would be involved in the acquisition of the collection and monitor what is taken, and he said he would accept that liability.
When asked about the need for a curator or other knowledgeable individual to match information with specific objects, Mr. Woods said that museum affiliation organizations, such as the New England Museum Association, could supply a list of names of people. He said he would have no problem passing on the file to such an individual or a Town staff member to coordinate.
Councillor Fine recalled that the Town
It was noted that some of the items in the collection, such as the metals, would require a light cleaning. The uniforms had already been dry cleaned.
Councillor Pelkey felt it would be appropriate to appeal to Town businesses for the donation of space to house the collection and to various organizations for their support.
The Council was reminded by Atty. Guliano that a condition of the sale was that the collection be displayed. He felt that, although it may have to be temporarily stored, Mr. Harvey would probably want to know where it would be displayed. Mr. Woods said he thought that temporary storage meant that the entire collection would be temporarily located with display cases moved in and out at will, until a permanent location was determined. Councillor Lassman Fisher read from a Resolution: The Town will agree to display the collection in a setting open to the public. Atty. Guliano felt that the Agreement would be met if a portion of the collection was displayed and rotated in some way rather than having the entire collection displayed.
Councillor Lassman Fisher said she was reluctant to have the collection placed in a school due, in part, to the security issues, the lack of accessibility for the public, and the change in temperatures when the school is shut down.
Mr. Woods questioned whose insurance responsibility it would be if a business in Town donated the space to show the collection and something were to happen to it. Atty. Guliano responded that, in all likelihood, if the space were being donated, the Town
7. Executive Session - None
8. Adjournment
A motion to adjourn was made by Councillor Pelkey at 8:10 p.m. It was duly seconded and was unanimously approved.
Respectfully submitted,
Merlyn P. Guild
Asst. to the Clerk of the Council
Attachment Exhibit A Appraisal
| |
