Heritage Commission Meeting Minutes

Mont Vernon Heritage Commission

Public Meeting Minutes November 10, 2022

APPROVED

In Attendance: Rebecca Schwarz, Sarah Beth Ross, Anna Szok, Howard Brown, Brian Billow, Annette Immorlica

Seated: Anna Szok

Absent: John Morrison, Zoe Fimbel, Bill McKinney, Andrew Stokinger

Community Members Present: Jessica Pomeroy

Schwarz calls the meeting to order, 7:03pm

Conditions Assessment Update

Schwarz- Corrections didn't make it to the NHPA in time, so we are on the docket for the end of this month now. -Immorlica Arrives- 

Craft Night Planning

Schwarz- We don't have enough people to make plans. As it stands Jess and I will be here working with people to do the crafts.

Brown- I can pass out pins!

Schwarz- Last weekend we got the kits made, everything is all set and ready to go. We have 5 people signed up for the first night and 3 the second day. I’ll be posting again tomorrow morning. 

Calendar Update

Schwarz- I had received a proof and there were some formatting errors. I made the necessary corrections to the calendars and they have been ordered. Last month’s meeting we voted to expense the calendars, however we need to vote to expense the $105.99 shipping charges for the calendar.

Ross makes a motion to reimburse for $105.99. Brown seconds, all in favor, motion passes.

Schwarz- Back to the calendars, we have sold 38 calendars with interest from additional persons. I think we will end up at 50. $725.00 total has been taken in thus far and deposited into the Heritage Fund.

Immorlica- How did we pay for the cost of the calendars?

Schwarz- I expensed it last month, we had a vote. For the craft night there last week we voted for it to be $150, I misremembered it to be $250, I don't think we went that far but we did go over $150. It was $100 alone for the styrofoam balls. There were quite a few things, but I didn't get the fabric expended yet. Other than that, our stickers we had voted to purchase (up to 65) I spent $63.64 on 50 stickers. We’ve spent $329.99  of our Dues/Seminars/Training budget thus far, supplies at this time are $322.24 which is not including any of the fabric. If you’ll bear in mind, the Dues Sems and Training was going to be reduced to $1000.00 and increasing supplies.

Tree

Schwarz- We’re welcome to decorate a tree, I spoke to the PTA. If we decided to decorate a tree, we would decorate and all of the funds would go to the pta.-Billow Arrives- It’s been suggested that that would be a misappropriation of funds. The person I was speaking to said that as an alternative we could sign up and sell hot chocolate there and take in those funds.

Ross- Last year they had that stuff there for free…

Schwarz- I’m not comfortable, especially if it’s considered a misappropriation of funds. Anybody have an opinion on that?

Brown- I agree.

Ross- I’m happy to go out the year with our last fundraising event being the ornaments.

Schwarz- I know the Historical Resources Subcommittee hasn't really been meeting, our contact at the DHR wants to set up a zoom meeting to discuss grants available to us and help with the Historical Resources Survey. Unfortunately it happens during the day.

Szok- I’ll take a look at the school calendar. I can always take a half day, if you want to. Let me take a look at the calendar. Maybe she could toss out a couple of dates and toss them to me.

Schwarz- Sure!

Warrant Article

Brown- We should do it if we think we should. We have time to write the Warrant Article. 

Schwarz- Ultimately it’s just a few months. One of my biggest concerns is whether the Assessment will even be completed in time.

Brown- When are we supposed to get this?

Schwarz- So the NPA meets once a month on the final week, they may skip it for Thanksgiving, but that is what we are waiting for. In September it went through and they requested changes from the architect and they have not been able to re-review it. So we’re just stuck waiting on that until the end of november.

Brown- I say go forward with the warrant article and let the town decide.

Immorlica- I don't know that we need the written Needs Assessment.

Schwarz- I don't want to get in front of the town and then tell them “we got this report but I can’t show you”. That’s not going to breed a whole lot of confidence. I have no problem if we put the warrant Article out and people ask why for us to explain it to them then that we have the report.

Brown- And when it goes to the budget committee it will be a group of people who have a lot of knowledge of the budgeting process. 

Pomeroy- You're just worried about educating the public?

Schwarz- I wouldn't use the word worried, I just think it’s important to get some education out there before asking for money. People still don't really know what we do. So far we’re selling raffle tickets. It’ll come to a point where we start asking for real money. That’s something where I would be more comfortable talking to people face to face and letting them know what we’re doing. I feel like that's showing respect to the community.

Szok- Wouldn't we have our report before march?

Schwarz- We can’t release the architects money until we get the report approved by the NHPA so they’d better. We won't be waiting until march. Again, you could drop it on the floor. If it really felt like the right thing to do. 

Immorlica-  Do we have a place to put the $50,000?

Schwarz- Bill was coming tonight and we were supposed to have a conversation about ‘cap reserve v heritage fund’. I think the town would be more comfortable with it going into a capital reserve. It gets earmarked

Immorlica- How do we establish a capital reserve?

Schwarz- We wouldn't, it would go to the town.

Immorlica- So what are the steps to establishing it? You’re telling me Bill’s not here and he should know, but maybe someone should talk to Bill and find out the steps.

Ross- Go for it!

Schwarz- Yes, also something came up and he was going to be here to speak to us concerning this, however he couldn’t. That’s out of our hands, but it was the intention this evening to discuss it.

Immorlica- It takes time to establish a Capital Reserve, and it really needs to be started if that’s the case.

Schwarz- What I do know of the process is we go to town vote to start a capital reserve, none of that will start until march anyway and then we have nothing to do with it. That would go through after the Town Meeting.

Immorlica- I think there’s a lot of regulations about it, and if Bill’s not going to be here we should talk to someone about it, Eileen Naber or somebody because she had capital reserves forever.

Brown- It’s all online too. It’s Chapter 35: Capital Reserve Funds of Counties and Towns and Districts. I’ll research a bit more.

Schwarz- I know the town treasurer would do it, not us. However, with the warrant article we have time, I don't believe they have to be turned in until January.

Brown– The town has to say you can do it, and withdraw from it.

Schwarz- That would be another thing you have to do at town meetings. You’d have to go forth and ask the town to vote to expand. Again, that’s all handled by the treasurer.

Ross- So this here is saying that if we have CR the entire town has to vote with a majority to withdraw money unless the legislative body has named agents to expend from the reserve fund. Could we do that? I don't think we want to necessarily wait until the yearly town meeting.

Schwarz- Yeah, we could try to do that. We’ll need to talk to Bill, I’ll try to reach out. Are we going to ask for a capital reserve fund or putting it in the heritage fund? Originally he wanted to put it in the Heritage Fund and we left that on the table. Any other questions or comments? None

Certified Mail

Schwarz- I do have the certified mail expenses, which was a whopping total of $13.72.

Brown makes a motion to reimburse $13.72, Ross seconds, all in favor, motion passed.

Note: Schwarz to bring in receipts for additional craft expenses next month. They will be voted upon at that time.

Grant Applications- No Update

Quote

Schwarz- Did we want to vote to accept it?

Ross- I like the idea of if, but that's more so we have something physical to show.

Schwarz- I agree, with the model it grants us people will be able to see it and ask questions.

Ross- And we had talked before about putting it in the corner or something so anyone who comes in for any meeting can see it. I liked that idea.

Brown- It’s all about the visual.

Immorlica- Did Andrew come take pictures?

Schwarz- No. He has used a lot from the last CP Williams report. He’s getting a lot of good responses from that. I did see you(Szok) had commented and I wanted to thank you for that.

Szok- It’s amazing. It’s important.

Brown- it should be important to the whole town. 

Immorlica- I think what's most important to the whole town is their pocketbook.

Brown- I think as departments we need to be coming together. So everybody knows what's coming down the road. So we need to get together as a town and back each other and do it together. If we can do it in such a way that we get behind each other then things will get done.

Schwarz- I agree with everything everyone has said tonight. To your point, Brown, that’s what we’re trying to do with the $50,000. 

Brown- The foundational work.

Schwarz- I’ll continue to keep looking for grants, but we need the liquid funds for grant matching. And it’s hard for people to understand that.

Brown- And people can’t see the effects, it’s all internal. And they need to be done. 

Note: Quote never voted upon, MUST be voted upon at next month’s meeting.

Brown makes a motion to accept the minutes as written, Brian seconds, all in favor, motion passed. 7:53pm

Ross makes a motion to adjourn, Brown seconds, all in favor, motion passed.

Meeting adjourned at 7:54pm

Next meeting: December 8, 2022

Respectfully Submitted,

Sarah Beth Ross

Secretary