1. The Joint
Public Hearing to consider the prospective historic landmark
designation of the E. L. Baxter Davidson House is scheduled for 6 p.m.
on Monday, March 20th, in the Meeting Chambers at the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. This will count toward your
attendance record.
2. The request to
the Board of County Commissioners to authorize the purchase of the W.
T. Alexander Plantation will occur on March 21, 2000. The Planning
Committee of the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend
the purchase.
3. Lee-Morgan
Contractors are at work at the W. T. Alexander Plantation. They have
begun the process of photographing and documenting existing
conditions. I have also visited the site with Joe Mann of Mann
Contractors. In addition, UNCC assisted me in interviewing Sarah
Alexander and her daughter Sarah. It was taped and will be transcribed
by the University. This will provide invaluable historical
information, both for purposes of faithful restoration or
rehabilitation of the buildings and future historical interpretation.
4. It seems that
the Commission does have a buyer for the Thomas Gluyas House. The
Commission purchased this property to save the house from certain
demolition and received an award for its efforts from
Preservation/North Carolina.
5. The Croft
Schoolhouse is virtually complete except for the landscaping. It will
certainly be finished within the next month. Sandy Roper continues to
market the property. His tactic is to locate a tenant. I do plan to
put a security system in the building.
6. Jeff Bradsher,
Tattie Bos, and I visited the Oehler House last Friday with Pike
Jones, who has the property under contract. It is a remarkable
structure with some early but dilapidated outbuildings. The Projects
Committee continues to examine the possibility of the Commission's
purchasing this property.
7. I have spent a
considerable amount of time during the past month dealing with the
situation surrounding the threatened houses adjacent to Myers Park
Baptist Church.
8. Survey and
Research Reports on the following properties will be finished by April
1st: John Milton Alexander House, Charles R. Jonas Federal
Building, Carolina Theater, and the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building.
I will be processing the prospective historic landmark designation of
the Nebel Mill Annex.
9. The FY' 2001
operating budget for the Historic Landmarks Commission is still being
processed. I will keep you informed as this process moves forward.
10. A guestbook
has been added to the Education Committee page of the website. I think
this will be a useful tool for internal communication also for hearing
from the public.
11. Lee-Morgan
contractors have developed a plan for developing estimates for
restoring the Newell Rosenwald School. This information will be
presented to the Projects Committee.
12. There have
been developments with respect to the Palmer Fire School (Fireman's
Hall). A letter will be forthcoming from Wanda Towler, Assistant
County Manager. I will E-mail you a copy when it arrives.
13. The
Commission has still not heard about the two grants submitted to the
Division of Archives and History. One is to survey industrial and
institutional buildings of the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. The other is to assist in funding a regional historic
preservation workshop. If funded, the workshop will occur at UNCC on
Saturday, May 19th.