Historic Preservation Committee

Meeting Minutes – March 16, 2016

A meeting of the Mountain Lakes Historic Preservation Committee ("HPC" or the "Committee") was held on March 16, 2016, in the basement meeting room of the Borough Hall. In attendance were Chair Lesley Karczewski, Vice Chair Tom Dagger, Ginny Cassidy, Mike DeWitt, Katy Roberts and Borough Council Liaison Bill Albergo. Absent were Pat Rusak, Alex Gotthelf, Sima Chowdhury and Margaret DeWitt.

Approval of Prior Meeting’s Minutes

The minutes of the February 18, 2016 meeting were approved.

Treasurer’s Report

Opening Balance as of 2/17/16: $30,763.30

Debits: $0.0

Credits: $420.00 Eight Centennial Books, 1 Note Card, and 1 Mountain Lakes History Book

Closing Balance as of 3/15/16: $31,183.30

Archivist’s Report

Owners of 302 Boulevard have been in touch with Pat to find old pictures, which will be used to market the house. It is not being sold as a knockdown. The house is currently on the market for $1.85 million.

Pat Rusak will be moving from Mountain Lakes and we will need to find a replacement for the Archivist. The position will be posted to the Mountain Borough email blast to find someone interested in carrying on Pat’s work.

Borough Liaison Report

The Borough Council has been notified that changes in the ordinance will be forthcoming.

The committee discussed the need for HPC to be notified proactively or better tied into the process for development of all public building or capital projects affecting the historic district.

Old Business

129 Pollard: This house will be demolished shortly. We will be given a short window of time to get in and document the house before it is demolished. There will be no time to schedule a professional photographer.

130 Pollard: The house does not look like a Hapgood now. Its street-facing façade has been completely renovated. This house was almost completely demolished without triggering the provisions of the ordinance for a 90-day waiting period. The question was brought up as to whether this house should be allowed to have a Hapgood plague and committee consensus was that it is no longer considered a Hapgood.

HPC Website: Michael DeWitt reported that he presented to the Borough’s Communication Committee on March 9th. This presentation was well received and he has been given the go-ahead to update pictures and move content. The new HPC website pages will have a more seamless experience for the user so they feel like they are never leaving the site when searching for information. An additional new features is that the website will have private log-in capabilities for HPC members. Discussions will continue on who should have access to what.

Plaque Pricing: It was clarified that plaques are priced at $230. There was advertising of a price of $175 for the Open House based on a previous sale price. The Committee agrees that the plaques should cover all costs and if possible generate a small profit.

HPC on Zoning Board of Adjustment: A request will be made for a member of the HPC to be allowed to sit on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Discussions were held on who this should be or if this should be a rotating position.

Ordinance Update: A brief review of the modifications proposal that was prepared by Tom Dagger was held. The Committee agreed to table the discussion until the next meeting.

New Business

Oral Histories

John Lester, a Borough Council Member, conducted an interview of a long-time resident of Mountain Lakes. Lesley reached out to Mr. Lester to see if he would be interested in being a part of the HPC oral history project. He has not yet responded to her request.

ML Club Records

The Mountain Lakes Club was throwing out old files of long-ago members which had personal information on them including address, age, and occupation. Lesley is sorting through the files to determine which are useful and should be saved for potential genealogical research needs.

Volunteering in Mountain Lakes

The Borough is looking for volunteering opportunities for youth and will hold a meeting on 3/30. This may be an opportunity to recruit youth to create a social media campaign, increasing awareness and understanding of the historical significance of this town. Margaret DeWitt will attend the meeting on behalf of the HPC.

Best Practices – Effective Strategies for Nonprofit Marketing Online – Alex and Sima will attend this workshop, sponsored by the NJ Historic Trust, on 3/31.

Date for Next Meeting

April 21st (Thursday) at 7:30 pm in the basement meeting room of the Library.

 

Minutes prepared by Katy Roberts & Lesley Karczewski