Historic Preservation Committee

Meeting Minutes – November 5, 2013

A meeting of the Mountain Lakes Historic Preservation Committee (“HPC” or the “Committee”) was held at 5:00 p.m. on November 5, 2013, at the Mountain Lakes Borough Hall.  In attendance were Co-Chairs Tom Dagger and John Grossmann, Pat Rusak, Mike DeWitt, Margaret DeWitt and Roberta Matalon. Absent were Chris Smith, Brigid Walsh, Ginny Cassidy and Borough Council Liaison Jason Bradlee.  Also present during the initial portion of the meeting were Borough Manager Robert Tovo and HPC Treasurer Chris Sheasby.

Discussion with Borough Manager Robert Tovo Regarding Proposed Change in Administration HPC Bank Account

In order to accommodate guest participants, the meeting began with a discussion session with Borough Manager Robert Tovo concerning a Borough proposal to transfer administration of the Committee’s bank account to the Borough administration.  Tom Dagger thanked Mr. Tovo for coming to address the Committee and discuss members’ concerns about the proposal.  Mr. Tovo explained the reasons for making the change, citing past issues with Borough bookkeeping and requirements under State law to tightly monitor, control and audit all municipal accounts, including those of Borough committees.  He acknowledged that in the past the Borough had not done a good job of promptly reimbursing town residents for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the process of serving on various committees, and expressed his view that such reimbursements should be promptly made.  He promised swift attention to invoices submitted by HPC members for purchases on behalf of residents (primarily photographs of historic homes and historic house plaques).  At the same time, he explained that it really was not an option for the Committee to administer its own bank account.  Even if the Committee members decided to establish an independent tax exempt organization separate from the Borough, there would still be a Historic Preservation Committee appointed by the Borough Council, as required by ordinance, and the existing HPC account (which has long operated under the Borough’s tax I.D. number) would continue to be under the auspices of that Committee.  He stressed the advantages to the Committee of its current status as part of the Borough -- for one, insurance coverage for injuries suffered, or bodily injury or property damage caused, while engaged in HPC business. 

Describing the distinct nature of the HPC account, different from a “rollover account” funded annually out of tax revenue, Mr. Tovo assured the Committee that the Borough would not be able to use funds in the account for other municipal purposes.  Expenditures could only be made from the account with HPC authorization. 

Mr. Tovo outlined how HPC bills would be paid out of the HPC account going forward after the proposed January 1, 2014, transition date, stressing that small expenditures for less than $100 could be paid that same day where immediate payment was warranted.  “Over that amount, we’d need to wait for Council approval,” which routinely occurred during Council meetings held twice each month (once during the summer months).  He explained the importance of getting invoices in by the Wednesday before an upcoming Monday Council meeting, so the bill could be approved by Council members and a check more promptly cut.  He explained how the process could be streamlined by setting up some of the Committee’s repeat vendors (such as the Boonton business that currently duplicates historic house photos or the firm that produces the bronze house plaques) so they could bill the Borough directly.  He also explained the need for vendors to sign purchase orders before the Borough could process payment.  In addition, where Committee members pay invoices and seek reimbursement from the HPC account, they need to be careful to provide a tax exemption certificate to the vendor in order to avoid paying sales tax, because the Borough cannot reimburse sales taxes.

After lengthy discussion of Committee members’ concerns and questions concerning how the new process would work, Mr. Tovo and Ms. Sheasby left the meeting.  The Committee then continued its discussion, reviewing the earlier statements and reassurances from Borough Manager Tovo and discussing the pros and cons of complying with the proposed course of action and alternatives open to the Committee.  Upon motion duly seconded, the Committee voted 5 to 1 in favor of make the transition to administration of the Committee’s bank account by the Borough administration, effective January 1, 2014. 

Approval of Prior Meeting’s Minutes

The Committee approved the minutes of the September meeting in the form distributed to the Committee in advance of the meeting. 

Treasurer’s Report

John Grossmann presented the report prepared by Chris Sheasby:

Opening Balance as of 10/7/13:  $29,446.41

Debits:

$220.00           Obeo Edberg for documenting 17 Condit

$  33.68           Michael DeWitt for Arts & Craft magazines, postcards, and ML photos

$253.68           Total Debits

Credits

$0.00

Closing Balance as of 11/1/13: $29,212.73

Archivist’s Report

Pat Rusak said her tasks this past month included replacing worn out batteries in the climate control unit and supplying a new resident to town with copies of work papers for his Morris Avenue Hapgood house.  Pat also provided historic photos to the realtor marketing the Dignes home at 17 Condit.

Old Business

Historic Preservation Ordinance Implementation/17 Condit Update

Tom Dagger discussed the documentation that was performed, per the HP Incentive Ordinance, of 17 Condit on October 29, with Tom, John Grossmann, Pat Rusak and Mike DeWitt in attendance, along with Peter Berlin from the Edberg Obeo Marketing firm.  Peter prepared floor plans and took professionally staged photos of the interior. In addition, Mike took a large number of photos to augment various architectural and other details for the historical record.  The realtor planned to use some of the Edberg Obeo materials in marketing the home, and contributed $75 toward the cost of the materials, in addition to having already paid for reproductions of old photos of the home.  Tom also mentioned a conversation he had with the realtor in which he proposed possibly having a local newspaper article about the first Intent to Demolish under the new ordinance and seeing if this might stimulate attention from buyers more likely to be interested in preserving the home than demolishing it.

Tom also provided a list of proposed changes to the HP Incentive Ordinance based on the first year’s experience and input received from Borough officials involved in land use matters.  There was general approval from the Committee for the various points raised by Tom, and he indicated his next stop may be to run it past the Ad Hoc Ordinance Committee before taking the step of preparing revised ordinance language.

HPC Table at Town Club Holiday Boutique on November 22

Pat Rusak explained that she would likely be unable to attend the Holiday Boutique, so discussion turned to volunteers to oversee the HPC merchandise table that day.  Brigid Walsh and Ginny Cassidy, who had volunteered to help that day, will be contacted by John Grossmann to see if they can provide daylong coverage.  If not, others will be needed. 

HPC Merchandise Webpage Displays

John Grossmann reported that the opening of the HPC online “store” -- displaying its historic merchandise and Centennial items -- was announced on the Borough homepage thanks to the prompt attention of webmaster Mark Watrous.

Remote Monitoring for Archives/ML Library

Mike DeWitt said that he had met with librarian Peggy Bulfer and arranged to revisit the site later this month, this time with a representative from Engineered Security Systems to better assess the scope of the project.

Old Briarcliff Magazine Photos

Mike DeWitt said that he had heard from School Superintendent Anne Mucci that the old magazine photos were now being framed, adding that when the Board of Education received the invoice from the framer, the HPC would need to pass on the $300 donated by the Town Club to the HPC towards this end. 

New Business 

E-Bay Posting of Mountain Lakes Skating Badges

Mike DeWitt said he had learned of four skating badges posted for sale on e-Bay for around $25.   No one on the Committee had ever seen or heard of such badges; all thought the badges could be a good addition to the archives and a prompt for discussion in oral history interviews.  DeWitt was authorized to purchase them. 

Safe Storage of Digital HPC Files

Discussion of remote monitoring of the archives prompted a brief discussion at this point about the ultimate need for reliable storage of the ever-increasing cache of digitized historic documents and other HPC materials, such as a copy of the Centennial Book.  Pat Rusak said she has many digital files in two locations—the fireproof lateral file drawer in the archives and also offsite, at her home.  Cloud storage, at sites like Dropbox, was briefly discussed before the matter was deemed a topic to be resumed at a later time.

Tower Hill Building as Possible Salvage Storage Location

Noting the potential demolition of 17 Condit, and stressing the need for additional storage space for salvaged items, Tom Dagger raised the possibility of seeking Borough permission to store such materials in the municipally owned building on Tower Hill Road.  The building would need to be empty and suitable for storing such items. John Grossmann said he would call Joan Best at DPW and ask about this and if possible get access to the building to see if the structure would fit this need. 

Date for Next Meeting

Thursday, December 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the Mountain Lakes Borough Hall.

Minutes prepared by John Grossmann and Tom Dagger.