Minutes of 2006 CPR Meetings

November 14, 2006 • Dick Gibson's, 301 N. Crystal

Treasurer's Report: Mitzi said the balance was $7,554.86 with $511.59 in bills paid, and an income of $159 from salvage sales. Total assets were reported at $13,306. She said the HIP grants still needed to be paid out. Irene said she sold 3 stained glass books.

Education: No report.

Ordinance and Oversight: Following some general discussion about the ordinance, Larry explained that Historical Advisor Mark Reavis would write the guidance for implementation. He suggested that perhaps it would be a good idea to consider including language to change the makeup of the historical commission to include more persons with professional expertise in the field of historic preservation. After going over the positive points in the ordinance, Mitzi expressed some concern that the public safety provisions might be misused. In particular were the "owner consent" clause and the lack of any discussion about inappropriate renovation and remodeling. The first of three public hearings would be held on November 21st, and the membership agreed to have the board draft a letter to present to the Council of Commissioners at that time.

HIP grants: No report.

Dust to Dazzle: Dick said he got Denny Dutton to list his house on the 2007 tour.

Longfellow School: Robert gave his summary of the building tour, and said he thought the historic portion was perhaps 40% of the entire building. He went on to say that the historic portion appeared to have three components, and that there was very little that needed to be done to preserve the building. He drew a sketch to show how the water damage had occurred and what could be done to stop it from getting any worse. He also sketched some small fire-damaged areas. None of the other members who were also on the tour noticed any friable asbestos. Justine asked about CPR taking action and Mitzi recommended that we wait until we find out what the school board is going to recommend.

Vernacular Architecture Forum: Larry went over the materials mailed to the forum, and said he felt sure the conference would be held in Butte in 2009. He asked Rolene Schliesman, architectural historian with the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, about tours and fund-raising opportunities around Butte, and how CPR could assist with as well as benefit from the conference.

YMCA Cleanup: Irene reported that not too many people came, but the 6th floor got pretty clean regardless. The same couldn't be said for the 5th floor, however. She didn't think there was much potential for salvage items. Irene said in conclusion that there were no plans for another cleanup.

Scholarship Committee: No movement this month. Andrea volunteered to talk to Steve Luft to let him know what we'd like to do. Dick said that if we put together an announcement, he'd post it on the website. He said he thought it could help with fund-raising. General discussion followed about what the applicants should do, and it was agreed that they could prepare a short paper to present at a CPR meeting.

501c(3): Larry hadn't heard anything from the attorney reviewing CPR's application, despite telling her that he wanted to submit it before Thanksgiving.

Dumas Brothel: Larry asked about the sale of the Dumas. Mitzi relayed a request from Mykl Meagher to work with Rudy to figure out some sort of deal to get the building. Robert said he knew of 4 leins against the brothel and $48,000 in liabilities (check with Robert). He said the roof was bad and the foundation needed some work, and he asked CPR to ask the URA for money to pay for the repairs. Justine volunteered to look into it and Irene said she'd find out about the tax status. Dick and Larry thought the County Restoration Alliance might have money available. Since the Parrott tailings were not removed, they thought there should be historic restoration money available.

BLDC: Mitzi brought up the community business plan. She thought CPR ought to know what's in it. She pointed out that one of their goals is making Butte a tourist destination and that their plans were good, but could be expanded - such as making Butte a historic preservation "center" or "area". She said the plan was on BLDC's website and Main St. Uptown website also.

Old Business: Mitzi revisited the issue of the psychiatric center proposed for Copper St. across from Irene's house, and said that perhaps CPR could protest the facility based on design problems.

Historical Commission: No report

Community Enrichment Committee: Mitzi passed out the minutes of the last meeting. Larry stressed that Ed Drabant has not been cited. He went on to say that Ed's place looks pretty good and also that the house near Ed's would be a great addition to the website.

URA: No report.

Main St. Uptown: Jim mentioned the possibility that a large folk festival may be held in Butte. If so, it would be a great tourist source, since the sponsoring organization holds the festival in the same community 3 years in a row (find out name of festival and organization).

New Business: Larry brought up a request by Julie Crowley to have CPR to hold money from a grant that Mike Byrnes received from Coca-Cola to paint the Coke ghost sign. Coke will only grant money to a non-profit, and Old Butte Historical Adventures wouldn't be qualified to receive the money. Larry said Julie will have a presentation next month.

Robert mentioned that the Grand Hotel had been donated to a Mr. Greg MacDonald to run a culinary school for at-risk kids. He asked for help in cleaning the place on Saturday, the 18th. Larry told him that's where CPR stores it's salvaged windows and other items, and it was fine to move the stored items to where they wouldn't be in the way.

Action Items: 501c(3), find out what we can do or just submit. Council of Commissioners meeting on the 21st. Individual members are encouraged to attend.

December meeting - Broadway Café at 6pm on December 15th. $10 per person.

October 11, 2006 • Robert Edwards, 82-85 East Park

Mitzi gave the treasurer's report. $171 was paid out to cover the cost of the brick workshop brochure. There was approximately $500 in outstanding bills to be paid, mostly for the reception at the Leonard. $276 dollars had been taken in - $72 from the reception alone! The checkbook balance was corrected, showing approximately $2,000 more than what was previously thought. (!)

Education Committee: Larry opened the discussion of old business by mentioning the historic design pamphlet, Mitzi said she will look into it. Larry said he was working on workshop materials on hot water heat using students in Dr. Macgregor's technical communications class. This would all be added to the website to develop its content, as well.

Ordinance and Oversight: Historical Advisor Mark Reavis attended to present the draft version of the demolition ordinance, and to answer questions. He was announcing the introduction of the draft to the Council of Commissioners the following evening. He stressed that the ordinance applies consistently to buildings in the district, and that the "overlay zone" will no longer be used and every building abandoned to the city/county would be reviewed and classified. Lots of discussion followed about how the ordinance would be used, and concern was voiced about adequate representation and comment during the review process. He added that the ordinance includes a local register and incentives for restoration and public works projects. Mitzi wanted to know if the ordinance would push the city to include specialists to the historical commission as listed by the Park Service. Mark said that it would. Mark also explained that tomorrow night's presentation at the council meeting was the introduction, and that there would be 3 more meetings before the public hearing. Larry said the board should draft a position letter. Mark agreed with that idea.

Mark also explained the "Class O" designation, and stressed that this designation is used by the Community Enrichment Committee, and not the Dept. of Public Works.

Some discussion followed about Ed Drabant's place, and Larry updated everyone on what had been done and what was left to do. Mark said that Ed had never been cited, and supported the work CPR was doing for him (Ed).

Under discussion of new business was the situation at the Longfellow school. Mykl appealed to CPR members to take on the issue of how to preserve this building.

He thought the roof would cost about $20,000 to fix and that mold might be a problem. It was his opinion that asbestos wouldn't be much of a problem because it's located in areas that are rarely accessed. It wouldn't be worse than when the school was open in 2001. Irene brought up the issue of the psychiatric care center that was proposed for her neighborhood, and said that it would be a good idea to discuss housing it in the Longfellow.

Mitzi suggested adding school board members on the CPR website along with Mykl's information. She also suggested that CPR members call school board members individually and asking about these issues. Mitzi volunteered to look into scheduling a tour of the Longfellow for interested members and then those who attended could draft a letter, after the city reveals its plans.

Larry announced that the Vernacular Architecture Forum was considering holding its 2009 meeting in Butte. He would like CPR to be a co-sponsor and assist during the conference. He said he would re-send an email message when the organizational meeting was held on the 19th at the Butte Silver Bow Archives.

Larry asked for help cleaning the old YMCA building. He thought there were some salvage opportunities.

Mykl praised Old Butte Historical Adventures. He would like CPR to recognize and thank them for the great job they're doing.

Mitzi asked about the scholarship and Robert replied that the contacts he visited with said they gave their money directly to the school. Andrea said that she'd participated in a scholarship program, and that it was administered by the department where the recipient was a major. It was suggested that an ad hoc committee be set up to work up a list of criteria and that the award would be for $250. Mykl asked about a book fund, as well. It was decided that the scholarship would be awarded to defer the overall cost to the student, rather than anything specific. Robert said he would be taking names via email.

Mykl produced a letter he wrote to deliver to the secretary of the Council of Commissioners saying that he wants to purchase the I.C. school!

Dick's web ideas were discussed. Carrie, Irene and Larry all agreed that the web quiz was hard! Robert thought that putting portions of the quiz in the paper would be good publicity. It was decided that the first prize would be a stained glass booklet. Dick said he would coordinate with Carmen Winslow.

Next meeting: Dick Gibson's place, 301 N. Crystal.

Sept. 12, 2006 • Carrie Kiely's home

The Treasurer's report showed our balance at $5,791, and most of last month's activity consisted of paying bills.

Education committee report - the pamphlet on historic design is still in the works. Larry thought it would be nice to have some out-of-town publicity for the Dust-to-Dazzle tours. Discussion followed as to what we're going to do for next year's tour. Kelly asked for members to think about who would be likely candidates. Robert thought he might have something, and asked about moving the date to some other time besides the 4th of July. Some discussion followed, but the consensus remained with that date.

Ordinance and Oversight - Where's the ordinance? Mitzi said the historical commission met today (9/12) and approved it. It's subject to review by at least 2 more committees and 3 more public hearings. Nicole and Clarence asked for some background information. Mitzi added comment on the new "Class 0" designation and asked for some draft comments from CPR by the next meeting. Julie said that we needed to really push public education to build a sense of appreciation for what's here, especially with the local government officials. Mitzi added that CPR needed to start working to build a real constituency with the residents, primarily Uptown.

Historic Improvement Program - Kelly commented on the progress at Phyllis' house. Larry talked some about work was going on the Baptist Church. Mitzi said she heard from the woman on Granite St., which was positive. Perhaps the work will get done there. Andrea reported on Janice Hogan and Robert gave us a quick rundown on his property. He added that he noted it's a pause on the trolley tour! Larry thought that it might be a good idea to post the addresses of the homes that have received grant money on the website. Mitzi thought that some mention of partners and donors would be a good idea, as well. Some of the "saves" were also discussed, mostly the Acoma. Julie asked about preserving ghost signs.

Reception - Dick brought his PowerPoint program for review. Everyone agreed that it was very good. Mitzi suggested adding something more about the window workshop. Julie needed to find out about tables. Robert wanted to know how many would be needed. It was decided that the final count would be determined during the setup on Thursday, September 21st. Larry and Carrie will meet to get email list finalized for a scatter mailing, urging members to attend.

Longfellow School - Larry passed around a copy of Steve Luft's letter to the editor about the situation. Some discussion followed about the salvage potential for the I.C. school. Larry said he talked to Dori Skrukrud about that. There didn't appear to be much. Mitzi summarized the contents of the newspaper article about the Longfellow School for members who didn't know, and added a statement from the HPO that the situation may be "anticipatory demolition", which is not a legal use of federal funds. She also confirmed that the school (Longfellow) was listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places. Some discussion followed about the true "danger" of salvaging materials at the Longfellow. Perhaps the dangers were overrated..?? Mitzi asked for members to attend a meeting at the school administration building on September 18th. She also asked if anyone would be willing to write a letter to the city stating CPR's position on the subject. Nicole agreed to write the letter. Nicole also thought it would be a good idea to write a letter to the editor, as well; and perhaps start a column about preservation. The discussion turned back to the I.C. school and potential for salvage. Larry thought it would be a good idea to check with Mark Reavis.

Mykl reported that he was showing the O'Rourke once a week! He was very positive about one interested party.

Andrea reported that the new owners of the Sears building have changed their plans about donating a science center. It's now being offered as an annual rental of about $50,000..!

Mykl also reported that Harp Cote's son is now running the Mueller Apts and the Napton.

Larry asked for a host for the October meeting. Robert offered his property at 82 E. Park.

August 8, 2006 • Leonard Hotel

Treasurer's Report: The treasurer reported a balance of $6,231.61. CPR activities - salvage sales, dues and donations, Dust -to-Dazzle, sales of the stained glass booklets and the brick workshop have brought in $3,355.25 since June!

Dust to Dazzle recap: This year's presentations earned $2,169.25, up from just over $900 last year. This year CPR enlisted 6 sponsors, up from last year's 4.

Pamphlet: No report

Brick Workshop: Larry reported getting 16 new memberships and 1 renewal from the workshop attendees. The workshop was conducted at 410 S. Excelsior. Larry also reported getting lots of new ideas for the website. He also brought up a request for his services as a consultant. He thought that would be a good idea, with the fees going to CPR. Dick brought up similar requests from folks who've asked him to give presentations. Discussion followed about fund-raising possibilities. Patrick asked about salvaging bricks from the upcoming, but as yet unscheduled, I.C. school demolition. Further discussion about successes and failures with brick salvage in the past.

Ordinance and Oversight: Carrie reported hearing from Historical Commission member Mary McCormick that the ordinance was making its way through the public works dept. Mitzi replied that it should be getting review from the Council of Commissioners by now. Some discussion followed concerning the consequences of people moving in and not having an ordinance in place to protect historic buildings.

Community Enrichment Committee: Mitzi reported lots of discussion about the I.C. school at the last meeting.

Mitzi brought up the idea of writing a column in the Montana Standard in an effort to increase public education and highlight the problems from ongoing demolitions. There is an increasing need to educate the public over the value of the integrity of the landmark district. Robert suggested including the Underground, as well.

Historic Improvement Project (HIP): No report.

501(c)(3): Larry reported that there was still no word from the lawyer.

Reception: Julie reported that the date available for a representative from Baucus' office to attend the reception had been pushed back to June of 2007. She asked the attendees if they wanted to wait for that date, or proceed with our own reception. The group decided to proceed without congressionals. It was also decided to scale back the amount of money originally set aside for the event. The new date is Sept. 22.

Montana Cultural Trust: Dick reported that the grant application had been sent.

New Business: Robert asked about the possibility of setting up a CPR scholarship aimed at helping the students in the historic preservation program at the College of Technology. Everyone agreed it would be a good idea, and several points were discussed. It was decided to have a scholarship ready to award for the spring semester.

Robert also asked about the thank you cards. Dick said the thank you's for the Dust to Dazzle participants and sponsors were probably mailed, since Justine and Kelly had picked some up from him. Discussion followed about how to make more available for good maintenance and restoration projects seen around town.

Action Items:

• Carrie - call Andrea about publicizing the HIP grant recipients
• Larry - new brochure
• Julie - call Irene before Dick leaves town.
• Robert - research scholarship details

July 11, 2006 • Leonard Hotel (Irene Scheidecker)

Minutes were read and approved with corrections.

Treasurer's Report: none

Dust to Dazzle wrap up. Larry and Kelly reported approximately $2,500 income to date, with approximately 230 tickets sold, perhaps more. Bob reported selling handmade tickets! No confirmations without the treasurer. A post-mortem meeting was planned and since Dick has designed new cards, it was decided that Thank You notes would be mailed to participants, volunteers and sponsors.

Pamphlet on historic design and materials. Brian (?) will coordinate with Mitzi.

Brick Workshop will be on the 21st and 22nd of this month (July). Larry asked several members about venues. The Leonard, The Iona Café and 410 S. Excelsior were all discussed.

Ordinance and Oversight. Larry urged individuals to call the Historic Preservation Officer in order to pressure the city to route the current draft of the demolition ordinance. It's currently sitting in the public works dept.

Historic Improvement Project (HIP) grants. The Baptist church had crews in town; it looked like they were ready to start work. Phyllis had her sign up. The grantee on Granite St. was very ill, so that project may not happen. Larry was looking for a good press release opportunity, and Justine thought that combining HIP grant announcements with a Dust - to - Dazzle story in the Montana Standard.

Free House on Front St. Larry checked out the house being given away by the owners of Front St. Market. He didn't see any material worth salvaging.

501(c)(3). Larry has given documents to the lawyer, but no word back from her. There was no discussion about how long to allow for a review.

Historic Landmark District Reception. Julie gave a background briefing for the newer folks and an update on planning progress. The current date is September 8th. Babb is committed to the table set-up in the courthouse rotunda.

Montana Cultural Committee Grant Application. Irene went over the proposal for the grant, asking for money to fund a part-time position as well as an office to make it easy for the public to make contact with CPR, and for CPR to conduct business. The deadline for the grant application is August 1st.

Evel Knieval Days. a meeting will be held on Thursday, July 13 for anyone interested in helping with the festivities.

O'Rourke building. Mykl reported that he's listed the O'Rourke on the National Histioric Preservation Directory, and has had about 6 calls - most callers can't believe it's so cheap. He thanked CPR members for their work on behalf of the building.

Iona Café. the new owners plan on opening a restaurant downstairs and renovating the upstairs for living space. They've had extensive restoration experience in Charleston, SC where the ordinance is quite strict. Larry asked them if they had a copy, they said they did.

Chamber of Commerce: no report

Historic Preservation Commission: no report. Dick said he thought there had been a new appointment, but no one could confirm it.

Community Enrichment Committee: no report

URA: Carrie reported on Jim Warner's conversation with Ed Staack. Kelly asked about WET and Larry said Mark Reavis thought the look was appropriate.

Main St. Uptown: Irene described the tree-planting work going on.

Action Items: Cultural Trust grant app. meeting, 501(c)(3), email and membership lists and newsletter.

August meeting on the 8th at the Leonard, thanks Irene!

June 13, 2006 • 108 S. Montana (Toni Seccomb)

Minutes of Previous Meeting: No review of the May minutes, since Carrie forgot to bring copies. Members were urged to check the CPR website to review the minutes and submit comments.

Treasurer's Report: Mitzi reported on income and outgo and concluded that CPR had a balance of $5,400 with one bill from the Stained Glass Tour outstanding.

Dust to Dazzle: Bob brought posters and said that all the tickets were printed. Advertising is running but there is still a need for more volunteers to staff the houses as well as the tea. He thought CPR should have a table/booth at the tea, as well. A suggestion was made to sell tickets at the Farmer's Market. Discussion followed and the idea was dropped because of the difficulty in staffing the table. Other contact ideas were discussed, but none were adopted. Mitzi said she needs more volunteers to staff the Virginia Apts., at least 12. Mitzi also suggested advertising the brick workshop and having several copies of the Stained Glass Tour booklet at Dust to Dazzle, perhaps at the table/booth that Bob suggested.

Justine gave a report on the advertising campaign. She said that KXLF had created a 30-second spot that will run at random over the next two weeks. Bob gave it a positive review. The Freedom Fest publisher is also doing some advertising; it'll be associated with the July 4th insert. Lively Times will also have an advertisement as well as the Independent Record. Larry suggested advertising with KUFM in Missoula. Bob said the tea will be from 2 - 6 pm with desserts donated by the Uptown Café. He's looking for an organist.

Justine needs some pictures for her upcoming interview with KXLF on Thursday. Dick thought that some on the website would work. The owner of All About Lights asked if she could sell tickets for us! No discussion needed on that one.

Pamphlets: No report.

Workshops: Larry talked to some Park Service folks in Denver about some assistance with workshop expertise and will meet with Mark Reavis and Glen Bodish to see if they have any ideas about how to work with them. Nacadoches Center has a great program for training in historic preservation. Larry was also interested in local contacts - Ft. Laramie and Yellowstone. No date set yet for the brick workshop - but Larry was considering sometime in July. Dick mentioned that the brick workshop link gets the most hits on the website. Dick brought up some website use statistics. He said the most hits come from people querying for historic buildings for sale, and interested parties have queried from CA, MA, Canada, England and India…! Discussion then shifted to selling workshop pamphlets. Dick brought up the possibility of using PayPal services. Further discussion on the benefits of hosting the workshops, that they're very good PR and attendance is often very high. He said the window workshop generated quite a bit of interest.

Ordinance and Oversight: The historic preservation ordinance is still in draft form and the historical commission still hasn't received the next draft. It appears to be hanging in the public health dept. Mark Reavis thought that the "deplorable" grants made by the URA lately might not have been made if the ordinance was in place. Robert thought that perhaps CPR should write a letter to Ed Staack, discussing some alternatives and maybe giving him some incentive not to clad his building with vinyl siding. Robert did talk Ed into donating his fire doors (good job, Robert!).

Community Enrichment Committee: A new building class (Class 0) is being considered for addition to the BSB building classification policy statement. It would not require Historic Preservation Commission input prior to taking action. The proposal is available for review by the commission and others interested in historic preservation. Mitzi will draft a response for CPR, stating a preference for HPC notification within 3 working days of Class 0 designation by the BSB building classification committee.

HIP grants: Committee met last week to go over the proposals and Larry gave a summary of the awards. The top proposal came from Park St. Baptist Church, they need to cap their parapet. They would like to use copper or copper-colored metal. CPR encouraged them to match the masonry and intact metal materials. Another grant was made to Phyllis Hargreave who's re-doing her house on Lewisohn. It's hoped that her work will inspire her neighbors (!). The total awards package came in at $3,000. A vote was taken to go ahead with the amount and do some serious fundraising - the motion passed. Larry was very pleased with the quality of all the proposals.

Salvage: Larry reported getting a lot done during the recent cleanup - he sold some windows! Mitzi asked Larry to make a sign for Dust to Dazzle. She was interested in some advertising for donated materials.

Montana Preservation Alliance: is meeting in Deer Lodge in July. Dick said he has a link to them on the website.

501 c.3 Larry needs a few things.

NEW BUSINESS

Mitzi asked Dick for a Montana Cultural Trust report. Dick had nothing new to report.

Eric brought up the free house next to Front Street Market. The owners are expanding their store, so they want the space. If anyone will pay to move the house off the lot, they can have it. Larry wanted to know what sort of salvage opportunities existed, in the event that no one takes the house.

Dick thought the Montana Cultural Trust would be very interested in any "before" and "after" photos of the Dust to Dazzle homes.

Robert asked about "thank you" notes for folks around town who do good preservation work. The attending members all liked the idea.

May 9, 2006 • Silver Bow Properties' house, 634 W. Park

Treasurer's Report - Mitzi gave a breakdown of revenues; including donations, membership renewals and book sales from the Stained Glass Tour. She also reported a companion breakdown of expenses; printing and research for the booklets sold during the Stained Glass Tour, as well as administrative costs, etc. The current balance is $4,840. She added that URA needs to bill CPR, still. Discussion followed about selling the remaining booklets from the Stained Glass Tour - contacting Books and Books and posting a note on the website were mentioned.

Discussion - Stained Glass Tour Irene Scheidecker said she was really pleased with the turnout for the tour, and would like CPR to perhaps host others. Tour ideas for stained glass venues included a few churches or properties at a time on alternate Sundays, for example. Dick Gibson suggested a "tour group" approach with a leader, since churches are no longer as open as they used to be. Mykl suggested hooking up with Old Butte Historical Adventures, but that was tabled since they're entering their busy season. But they would be a good venue for selling Stained Glass Tour booklets.

Dust to Dazzle - the committee met Tuesday, May 2nd. Justine is contacting media sources and will also appear on television. Bob is taking care of the posters. Kelly said she needs volunteers. Jim - name tags.

Education - pamphlet on historic design and materials. Mitzi said they weren't ready yet.

Ordinance and Oversight - Larry asked if the members of CPR board would comment on ordinance. Mitzi said she didn't think the revised version was ready yet, so comments are currently pending.

HIP - deadline for applications is this Friday (May 12, 2006). Kelly said no applications have been received, but some inquiries have been made. Andrea said maybe Carmen (?) might run the advertising in the newspaper again.

Salvage - Larry needs help with cleaning and organizing the items in storage. He mentioned a house in Anaconda that was in danger of demolition and suggested that perhaps there's a salvage opportunity there. Julie Tettinger has a person who'd like the place. The house may also be moved, too. Some discussion followed about CPR getting involved with Anaconda demolition issues.

501c (3) - Irene said it would help if the paperwork were submitted by the time she applies for a grant from the Montana Cultural Trust.

Expanded NHLD Reception - Julie Crowley reported that Max Baucus' office responded that no one would be available to attend a reception until this fall. Irene didn't think that would be a problem. Andrea asked if we were tying in with Ellen Crain. Julie said no, because Ellen's working on other aspects of the dedication, such as getting things organized with the folks in Helena who helped, and has other things going on that same day, etc. CPR will host reception in the courthouse, while other events are taking place in Uptown. She also reported that Old Butte Historical Adventures met with Babb's office about erecting a stage and blocking some streets. They received funding for two banners, large enough to span the streets, from URA. One will go across Park St. and the other will go across Main. Money for promotional brochures will hopefully be coming from Travel Montana. Perhaps the Butte High Band will participate. Several ideas were mentioned for CPR's reception. Andrea suggested CPR's own awards - voted down. Dick Gibson said he could arrange for a continuous PowerPoint to run during the day at the CPR exhibit. It was also decided to keep the original idea of a pass-through exhibit, rather than expand the food or media offerings, with the exception of the continuous PowerPoint.

New Business - Julie Crowley also mentioned that people don't know how to go about getting plaques for their houses. She asked Mark Reavis about educating historic building owners. Some discussion followed about making plaques available to those who signed on to the Historic Preservation Ordinance, perhaps with a public presentation, and a certificate from CPR. Mykl thought plaques might make a good fundraiser, but several members balked at that because of the time demands to do research. Andrea thought that URA might make funds available for a grant writer, and Mitzi thought CPR might contact Babb's office with that request. Andrea volunteered to call George Everett and Dori Skukrud to get their assessment of the need for another grant writer. The certificate idea was voted down.

Dick Gibson announced that Max (Silverbow Software) is the new website host.

Everyone commented on the Stevens building's paint job. Some discussion followed about more historic buildings uptown getting their own paint.

Robert asked for some sort of contact system. Discussion followed. It was decided that the members who wanted to could post their email addresses, or other contact information on the website. This information would only be made available to other members who had a password.

Historic Preservation Commission - no report

Community Enrichment Committee - Larry reported that 622 W. Granite was partially burned, and might be demolished. Robert went to find out about the Greek Café, and said that he got meeting minutes in a few days - astonishment all 'round! More meetings are pending.

URA - no report

Main St. Uptown - no report.

Montana Cultural Trust Committee - Irene mentioned getting support for a permanent office with a paid director; since CPR hosts ongoing promotional activities, workshops, tours, as well as continuous grant writing and administration work. All these things could be done better with a paid staffer, part-time for starters. Also, we have educational programs that get very complex. Some ideas were discussed for educational work; ad hoc tours, trunks, etc. Doing all this requires a coordinator. CPR would have to develop a job description with hours/week, list benefits (if any), etc.

Mykl said he was going to sell the O'Rourke, and wanted some marketing ideas. The building will be listed on CPR website.

Mitzi asked Robert about the brick salvage, he had no updates.

Upcoming meeting venues are posted on the website. June meeting will be held on the 13th at Toni Seccomb's place at 108 S. Montana. July's meeting will be at the Leonard Hotel on the 11th.

April 11, 2006 • Dick Gibson's House, 301 N. Crystal

Larry called the meeting to order and read the minutes from the March meeting. Corrections were discussed and noted. Mitzi gave the Treasurer's report. The checkbook balance was $7,537.71. This included a $500 donation from Jim Warner.

Education Topics

Dust to Dazzle Tour: Kelly Rose and committee reported that the six tour venues have been identified. A volunteer sign up sheet was passed around to attending members for help on the day of the tour, July 1. There was a short discussion about researching an individual building's history. Also, we discussed where to find homes for future tours. In the future, the committee may consider other vendors, like Tupperware, Pampered Chef, and others. There was also a discussion about the need for a manned CPR booth at the D2D tour, where someone would make available to visitors CPR pamphlets, donation box, guest book, sign up lists, and the stained glass tour booklet. There were no volunteers to spearhead that effort, though.

Pamphlet on historic design and materials: Copies of Butte Historic Homes, prepared by the local historic preservation office many years ago, were passed around. These can be used to fashion the single page pamphlet we wish to distribute around town, telling people what historically appropriate renovations should include. Mitzi said she would give a copy to Brian ___ (Silver Dollar Saloon) so that he could get started with that pamphlet. We expect to put the pamphlet content on the website, too.

Workshop Series: We have heard nothing from the Jerry Metcalfe Foundation about our grant application for a series of instructional workshops. However, we were optimistic about getting to go to the second round of applications.

Ordinance and Oversight Topics

Historic Improvement Program: There had been few expressions of interest to that point, although ___ Costello had called with an inquiry regarding window replacement. There was a clarification about what constituted a conflict of interest in this program. A grant recipient cannot be on the HIP committee. She or he can be a board member, but cannot vote on accepting or rejecting the recommendations of the committee regarding actual awards. The committee will talk to Andrea about an announcement about the program in the Montana Standard. There was a question about whether the Butte Board of Realtors was going to be a sponsor again this year. Kelly had sent a letter to them two months earlier and hadn't heard back yet.

Old Business

Used Brick from McHugh - Robert Edwards talked to Mark Reavis about the Butte School Districts supposed commitment to reusing brick from demolition of the McHugh building on South Main. There is yet no evidence that the school will live up to its promise to the Historic Preservation Commission. Robert did not receive a good answer from Mark about this topic, but he'll keep asking.

Web Hosting - Max Detjens has volunteered to host CPR's website (we're now with Big Sky). Among other things, this will get CPR away from the Hotmail account and concentrate our e-communication through the website.

Montana Cultural Trust - Project proposals need to be in by the August deadline. Mitzi and Irene talked to Ellen Crane who said the chances for funding larger projects looked good. Dick Gibson suggested that CPR publish a booklet about architectural features in Butte; borrowing from De Haas and "Butte's Historic Homes". One suggestion "Butte Architecture for Idiots". Larry suggested incorporating the historic neighborhoods. Another possibility was work with Mark Reavis on interpretation in the Granite Mountain Overlook area. A committee was formed to consider possible projects, and forward a recommendation to the membership about which one might work best.

Council of Commissioners - Sears building, Nick Kajawa - Science Exploratorium - submitted the successful bid, beating out 3 other proposals.

Historic Preservation Commission - WET proposal approved, with amendments.

Community Enrichment - discussion of the Greek Café; North Main St. pilot project proposed by BSB Community Enrichment Committee, and the Belmont Senior Center ground improvement project.

Main St. Uptown - no report

Action Items - Larry Smith will contact Andrea Stierle about Standard announcement about HIP grant, and will also get going on the pamphlets and letterhead/envelopes. The new committee in charge of envisioning and preparing a new proposal to the Montana Cultural Trust will meet after the Stained Glass Tour - May 2nd at 7 pm at Irene Scheidecker's house. James Rose will review the conflict of interest draft statement.

Next Meetings - May 9th at 503 S. Idaho; June 13th at Toni's 108 S. Montana and July 11th at the Leonard Hotel.

March 14, 2006 • 615 S. Clark St.

Larry read the minutes from the February meeting, there were six corrections. Mitzi gave the Treasurer's report. She caught a $50 mistake! The current balance is $7,597.71.

The Stained Glass Tour - Dick Gibson said he and Irene have visited all the churches. Insty Prints has not completed the quote for full-color printing, but it looks like 50 posters for $75. The tour received $1,000 from URA for brochure/guide printing costs. Jeanette Barnes will design the cover. It will be available for $5. The tour is free and volunteers are needed.

Dust to Dazzle Tour - Kelly Rose reported that Stacy Wilcox on Granite St. has been approached, but not confirmed. There are currently 5 houses, but we're hoping for 6. Janet Thompson's house on Antimony was a suggestion. The Silk's house (dead baby house) is for sale. The group is having a tea after the tour at the Christian Science church; tickets will be $12.50 per person or $20 for two. Bob Benson is in charge of the tea.

Pamphlets on historic design and materials - Mitzi brought up having a design oversight committee for new homeowners in the historic district. She has approached Brian (? Owner of the Silver Dollar) and he said he would be on the committee. Irene said there is a book in existence like that. Phyllis Hargrave said there is one in the Tech library, done by Butte Silver Bow. Mitzi will find it and make copies. Discussion followed about using local realtors to help with pamphlet distribution, also the website and title companies. We could reproduce entire pamphlets on the website, too.

Jerry Metcalf grant - needs to be mailed 3/15 (i.e., tomorrow). Larry asked for feedback on pre-proposal. He wanted a 2 year program for workshops. Some would require contractors. He will send on 3/15.

Historic Preservation Ordinance Comments - Larry asked for input. Mitzi was concerned about "participatory party" requirements, they were not stringent enough, especially since 'design and review' input is restricted to them. Mitzi suggested amend the 'participatory party' definition to include whole neighborhoods. Mitzi said that Rolene Schliesman (SHPO) recommended passage 'as is' to preserve the Certified Local Government (CLG) status. She thought that there was enough positive content to make dramatic improvements. Julie Crowley asked about Mark Reavis' request for letters to Helena (SHPO) encouraging Butte Silver Bow be dropped from probationary status. Perhaps some could be generated by the board via email.

HIP - ads are on the website, also at the Community Development Center. Andrea may have done something for the paper. Kelly mentioned one interested party had contacted her already.

Old Business - 501c-3. IRS 1023. Larry asked who was involved in the form-filling out committee. He said that one of the lawyers from Poore, Roth and Robertson said she would do preliminary review of the paperwork for free.

Expanded Historic District Dedication reception - Julie reported that the letter to invite Secretary of Interior was mailed. The date for the reception is currently pending a response from the Sec's office. Julie said she displayed the posters she made for the reception at the Heritage Workshop and received favorable comments. The group decided that they would mention the reception in their newsletter and help with publicity. It was their #1 action item! The World Museum of Mining is considering complimenting the reception activity with a 'free day' at the museum. Mike Byrnes is getting 2 street-wide banners welcoming visitors. Ellen Crain gave Larry's name to a man in Anaconda, David Webb, who's interested in getting the railroad ready. Carrie asked about invitations to the Keeper of the National Register. Mitzi said that it would be better to wait for a date from the Secretary of Interior's office.

Newsletter - Irene said the (January?) newsletter isn't published yet. She reported lots of stories, and was waiting for some feedback from Steve Luft. She thought that perhaps it would be better to publish regardless of feedback before the stained glass tour.

Mitzi said the Council of Commissioners would be hearing presentations on the Sears building "tomorrow night", 3/15.

Dick Gibson reported more statistics of the CPR website.

Some discussion about the upcoming opening on the Historical Commission.

Community Enrichment - Mitzi talked about how BSB is claiming $1 million dollars in revenue generated from property sales. They'll probably start charging more for developer's packets.

URA - no updates.

Main St. Uptown - no updates.

Phyllis had a great idea about sponsoring an identification contest through the paper featuring details of facades around town. It could be worked like a scavenger hunt.

Robert asked why brick was not salvaged from the demolition of McQuinn Auto Body shop. BSB was required to set it aside for salvage and didn't. Larry asked if the stipulation to save the brick was in the minutes of the public works meetings, or demolition plan. Mitzi asked if he (Robert) would write to the Historic Preservation Commission for documentation.

Action items for next time: 501c-3, newsletter, JMF grant, HIP grants can now go up to $1,000, and members may apply!

The April meeting will be at Dick Gibson's house, 301 N. Crystal

February 7, 2006 • Scheidecker Home, 31 E. Copper

Carrie updated the group on the status of the open house/dedication party. Julie Crowley and Carrie had decided that the open house idea would combine really well with the dedication of the expanded historic district. Ideas for the foamboard posters, menu items and other issues were presented.

The stained glass workshop was discussed. The roster of participating churches was updated with some discussion about which ones were in the overlay district. 5 were definitely inside the overlay, but others were not. Participation of the Catholic churches was still unknown. The synagogue would be the subject of a presentation to the URA at the end of the month (Feb). URA applications were due on Friday, the 10th. Mitzi will say St. Patrick's could be funded through their "Special Projects" fund. The cost of printing is higher than planned; approximately $1,000 was requested for printing and other costs. Dick met with Methodist representative and said they were ready to go.

Kelly discussed the Dust to Dazzle for this year. They're in the process of getting homes to feature and still need some. Let Kelly know of any good candidates. Also, the tour is need of hosts and other volunteers - only two have confirmed their participation so far. A promotional person is also needed. Irene asked about Robert Edwards and Mack's properties, at which point Robert arrived at the meeting! Mitzi said she would like to get Justine (??) to help. Julie suggested Irene offer the Leonard Hotel for a venue for promotional purposes, offering tea in the old café..!

501c-3 status. Larry as where we are with this. Larry will re-send the by-laws to Mitzi, then members for review and re-start.

New Business:

Larry and Mitzi discussed the Jerry Metcalf Memorial grant foundation. What more can CPR do? Offer products like Larry's brick pamphlet, or establish honorariums with the small grants similar to HIP. Andrea thought that the pamphlet idea would fit well with the technical communication program at Tech, and would be something the students might want to help with. Applications for this memorial grant are due March 5th. Mitzi thought that the Historical Preservation program at Tech, and the Park Service, might want to partner with CPR on workshops. Larry offered to send an email to the Montana Preservation Alliance for more information on the grant application. Ideas were floated for another pamphlet "You and Your Contractor" and "Hot Water Heat", were just two.

The Northwest Archivist Conference was discussed. CPR has expressed interest in co-sponsoring, or perhaps being an exhibitor for $50. The members present voted to spend the money and exhibit during the conference, using the foamboards developed for the open house/preservation dedication.

The Montana Archeological Society's ghost tour was still a "go".

Larry asked Dick to talk about the website statistics. Dick ran through several interesting facts about who's finding us and what they're looking for. The "For Sale" link has the most visitors, and these are referred to the URA for more information. Robert added that he found his first property on the CPR website while he was still in California.

Larry's looking for help with more letterhead stuff - pamphlets, envelopes, and other stationary items. Dick volunteered to help Larry.

Dick also volunteered to work up a promotional link with the city's website. Mitzi said that when she looked at Main St. Uptown's website, there were lots of things to link to.

Larry asked who received Jim Shea's old e-photos of Butte and Walkerville. He mentioned that these would make really nice "before" and "after" photos.

Jim asked when and where URA meets, and Mark confirmed the day and time.

Education Committee - no report.

Some discussion about salvage, the discussion brought up the large number of windows CPR has in storage.

Historic Improvement Project - Kelly said that the committee needed to meet. Larry mailed the edits (?) to Kelly, and asked if anybody else wanted to see them. The application (?) needs to get to the Community Development office. Andrea will get the article in the paper.

Mark said the Historic Preservation Commission will send ordinance and design guidelines through email to CPR for review and comment. Please provide input, Mark will highlight changes.

Janice Hogan attended from Anaconda. She's interested in starting a group like CPR there. She asked for guidance on how to manage such a group. Various members shared their opinions. Janice said that local interest has gotten very strong from the recent tear-down of the Gold Coin mill.

Mark asked for representatives to the historical commission.

Carrie reported on her tour of the Tate Hotel restoration with Robert Renoir.

The next meeting will be at Robert's building at 615 Clark, on March 14th. Action items will include: Stained glass tour, the open house, 501c-3, Dust to Dazzle tour, the Jerry Metcalf grant application, the Northwest Archivist's conference and reprinting pamphlets with the CPR letterhead.

January 10, 2006 • Mitzi Rossillon home

2005 fiscal report. Mitzi passed out copies for comment. 2005, the most money spent and the most money brought in. Expenses were relatively high, but workshops brought in $505, and that's a lot more than previous years.

Election of board members. Board is larger than it has been to accommodate the at large member in for Carol Westine. Irene said she was willing to stay on as board member...Carrie agreed to serve on the board, Kelly Rose also agreed. So Carol and James are replaced with Kelly and Carrie. Larry, Mitzi, Bob and Irene are retained. Board = Larry, Mitzi, Kelly, Irene, Carrie, Bob, Andrea.

Election of Officers: Discussion about election procedures. No by laws yet, so the procedures are 'flexible'. Larry Smith was nominated for President. Three nominees for VP: Kelly, Tony and Dick. Mitzi accepted the nomination for Treasurer. Carrie was nominated for Secretary. All nominations were accepted. Dick withdrew from the race early on to avoid the rigors of a campaign. But the confirmation hearing was what really scared him. All nominations were voted on and approved...Kelly accepted VP position. Board member meetings should be scheduled next Tuesday the 17th at Andrea's at 7pm.

Kelly reported on organizing this year's Dust to Dazzle. Mitzi, Janice, Bob are this year's committee and Mitzi said they needed more members. Organizational meetings for last year's event started in February, so that needs to get going. The Madori Manor (Mark and Dori's house) was nominated for inclusion in this year's tour. Kelly offered to serve on the committee...Beth also offered. Five more houses will be needed. Committee meeting will be the 24th at 7pm at Kelly's. 1135 W. Mercury

New Historic Preservation Ordinance. Mark Reavis attended as Historic Preservation Officer. Gave the latest version that has been sent to the Historic Preservation Commissioners. He reported some confusion on the term "contributing element"... But offered copies for everyone who was interested. He said this version had been vetted through the county atty's office, and should be ready for review and comment by the historical commission. URA, local tax abatement will all follow the same format for demolition and rehabilitation review. Getting individual residents to sign on to the ordinance in order to abide by the Sec of Int's standards for historic preservation. He also said that the overlay zone will now share the same boundaries as the new expanded historic district. Mitzi asked for a draft to be made available on the CPR website. Right now, the only incentive to participate is the URA money....she would prefer "SID" (Special Improvement District) type participation. If a majority voted to participate, the rest would be obligated...Mitzi wanted the option. Mitzi thought it was important to do some sort of public outreach for a public vote...to amend the ordinance to include "SID." Mitzi asked if the schedule for approving the revised ordinance would accommodate the CLG re up in March. Public hearings would probably be scheduled in April. Mark expects a long process with public participation.

Newsletter updates. Information was supposed to be to Irene in Dec... but Andrea got hers in 'today'. Irene was asked when she'd like newsletter items, she answered the last (full) week of January for release during the first week of Feb.

WEB plan, the mill levy proposal. Dead in the water, scratched from the agenda.

Butte CPR's offer to develop a marketing plan for BSB properties. Mitzi reported a 'nil' response from the city. But Dori got back to her about marketing the Sears building well outside the Butte area. Advertising through CPR's website to spread the word. Mitzi looked at "HistoricProperties.com", at $50 for three weeks/or month. Preservationdirectory.com advertises for a whole year for a lot more money. If BSB does not want to spend the money for that kind of advertising, would CPR be willing to spend the 50 bucks themselves? Motion carried.

Status of the Greek Café. BSB has agreed to re evaluate the cost of demolition, and offer that amount to a responsible developer as an incentive to rebuild and occupy the structure. Mark reported that BSB expects soon to get a response from the architect who wrote the first report concerning a revised cost estimates for demolition. Mitzi would like to advertise via CPR's website that the property will be available for a developer's packet in the near future.

Stained glass pamphlet. Irene, Dick and Andrea on the committee, with Mitzi and Toni. They met in November. Irene has letters ready to go to 10 pastors, will go out on 1/11. The date is April 23, from 1 to 5 in the afternoon. Irene read the letter for review. Mitzi said that once we have a commitment from 10 churches, they will go to URA for a $1,000 grant to support the project. Mark warned that we will have to carefully phrase our request to indicate that URA money will only be spent for those churches in the URA district.

Carrie reported on CPR's spring open house. Menu items and venue issues were discussed. Lots of help was suggested for invitations; Mitzi, Andrea and Toni offered to help with that, since the invitation list was expanded. The Board will meet and go over the CPR mailing list for starters. Stop, Look and Listen posters were also mentioned. In addition to the Finlen Hotel, the courthouse, the Thorton and the Metals Bank building were also mentioned as possible venues. If the Finlen cannot be had, then perhaps the courthouse (free!) could be utilized. Advertising venues were discussed, and so those will be utilized once the mailing list is finalized. Title of the party is tentatively named "The Butte CPR Preservation and Appreciation Open House". Additional help with setup, takedown and mingling with the guests was requested.

Nominations for the Montana Preservation Awards were passed around. Butte CPR is nominating the MEPS building, Lexington Gardens, the 4 Quens, and the Parshal Shepard house. The Parshal house nomination was not completed.

Butte Archives has asked for sponsorship for Northwest Archivists annual meeting in May. Various levels of corporate sponsorship are available. Decision to participate was tabled.

MAS (Montana Archaeological Society) is meeting here in Butte. Mitzi suggests a ghost sign tour during the conference we could help an intern develop this tour as part of their education/training (technical communications students)...and having it available for the conference. Andrea stated that Bill Macgregor's students will be looking for projects, and she'll contact him about this possibility. The students will develop the tour as a technical communication product.

Meeting reports... Council of Commissioners and URA. Julie reported distress over the demolition of the McQuinn Auto Shop building. She was upset that URA money is being used for demolition, and also for Butte High's parking lot. Mark explained that URA and the school district have a relationship that is mostly mutually beneficial. Mitzi said that the school gets money right off the top. URA meetings are very hard to attend (9am on Tues. mornings), so monitoring their activity is very spotty. Julie decided to try to attend URA meetings since she found out no one from CPR was going to them. No other meeting reports.

Committee meeting reports: Irene mentioned the stained Glass committee activity already.

HIP meeting announce applications at the open house on the 23rd.

Next meeting will be on Feb 7th. Irene volunteered her house @ 31 E. Copper. Andrea will put the agenda together.