Historic Park Advisory Committee

FOUNDERS PARK COMMITTEE Minutes from the September 10, 2018 meeting. In attendance: John Williams, Kevin Clark, Bruce Ashby, Ed Van Awken, Councilperson Grant Special Report: Mr. Grant brought in plans he acquired from White and Borgognoni that showed details of the construction of the basketball courts (what is now just an asphalt patch in the park. New business: (Tom add Lexington information) A company from Lexington, KY has been identified to etched brick for one of our early fundraisers to offset capital costs. The estimate consist of two lines of text for $20.00 and three lines of text for $25.00. Brick cost between $0.50 and $1.25. Councilperson Grant will speak with Gail White to try and identify a local source for bricks and etching services. The plan is to make at least $10.00 on each brick, but since this is a fundraising activity a few Committee members felt there might even be an opportunity to receive $60.00 to $70.00 per brick given their experience with similar fundraising events. Old business: A subcommittee, consisting of Ed Van Awken and Councilperson Tom Grant, was formed to develop the content for the Park pamphlet. Three architectural renderings of the proposed Park were selected, from the 32 SIU Landscape Architecture classes’ drawings, to provide the basis of the Park’s physical attributes. Contact will be made with the City’s Planning Division to request elevation contours of the property that can be copied onto vellum; and then traced on the landscape plans. The landscape drawing that shows the most promise is the one where the kiosk is closer to the asphalt on the South end of the property, which creates direct access to the proposed parking lot. The Committee envisions a booklet, 8 ½” x 11”, that will consist of an opening narrative, projected costs, project timeline, a fold‐out map of the Park and a solicitation page directing patrons where they can donate. A tentative draft of the booklet will be available for review by the end of October. The pamphlet will be presented to City Council for final approval. Then a request will be made to have the City establish an account where donated funds can be held for the development of the Park. This will create an avenue for donors to receive a tax right‐off. Public/Private partnerships: Engagements have already be initiated at various levels. At the local level, relationships are being fostered with members of Carbondale Tourism. A number of businesses have been identified as donors, but in order secure that funding they will need to see a solid proposal. At the state level, an informative conversation was held with State Representative Terri Bryant who indicated that she is aware of the Park’s early developments. Public/Private partnerships continued: On the national level, there was a discussion of eventually working to get the Park placed on the National Historic Register as a means of laying the foundation for securing federal funding. General Comments Although the Preservation Commission is still deciding on an appropriate date for Founders’ Day, it would be appropriate to have a flag raising ceremony on that day. Founders’ Day does not have to be on the official day designated by Springfield. The event can occur either in the fall or spring as long as it does not conflict with another major event already occurring, in the City, on an annual basis. The Committee members also discussed bronze plaques as a fundraiser. Councilman Grant mentioned that he spoke with Jordan Wren with Carbondale Tourism about a source in New York. Councilman Grant further stated he knows of a foundry in St. Louis that might be able to provide plaques as well as stating that the SIU Blacksmithing program is another source worth investigating. The committee members jointly agreed that the primary goal for the Park is to focus on functional attributes that can be realistically obtained. It was further mentioned that the City staff would not be building anything, and the Park’s development would go out to bid with the City focused on permitting. Adjournment