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Director's Report February 12, 2001 1. The Board of County Commissioners and the Historic Landmarks Commission will hold a joint public hearing on February 20th to consider the prospective designation of the McAuley House as a historic landmark. The reason is so the Commission can legally spend money to move the house. I will give you an estimation of the time it will occur during the meeting. 2. The Commission has received an offer on the Charlotte Cotton Mills. Negotiations are still underway to determine the specifics of the offer. This will be referred to the Projects Committee for consideration. 3. Progress continues at the Charlotte Cotton Mills. Architects are developing plans for interior demotions. Roof conditions are also being assessed. 4. Don Yelverton is under contract to proceed with the development of a site plan at the W. T. Alexander Plantation. Negotiations for an access easement are still underway. Clearing of adjoining land has begun. 5. Things are happening at Cedar Grove, an ante-bellum plantation on Neck Road. The Trust For Public Land is buying 25 acres which will be sold to the County. Mrs. Banks is asking that historic designation of a portion of the land be removed so it can be developed. Discussions are underway with her and with the Trust For Public Land. Matters are pending. 6. The Board of County Commissioners has voted to buy the 140-acre Oehler Farm on Huntersville-Concord Road. Here is how matters will proceed. The County will buy the property. The HLC will determine what land (c. 10 acres) will be needed to protect the rural settings of the Oehler House and the McAuley House. The Town Board of Huntersville will be asked to designate this acreage as a historic landmark. The HLC will purchase this acreage from Mecklenburg County at the price paid by the County (approximately $19,000 per acre). The HLC will restore the houses to some level of completion and offer the houses for sale. The Town Board of Huntersville will contribute $150,000 toward the restorations. When the houses are sold, the HLC will reimburse the Town of Huntersville. All other proceeds will be returned to the HLC's Revolving Fund. 7. An Application for a Survey of African American resources has been submitted to the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. 8. An operational budget request for FY' 2002 for the HLC has been submitted. It contains two "betterments" -- a request for $20,000 for a survey of center city historic sites and $5,000 for educational programs. 9. A very successful event was held to mark the unveiling of the historic marker at Alexander Slave Cemetery. Special thanks to Jeff Bradsher for his remarks. 10. The issue of the Palmer Fire School continues to evolve. Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation is reluctant to endorse the sale of any portion of the property. Hopefully, the HLC will not have to be involved, and Park and Recreation will be able to save the historic resources on the site. 11. Materials have been submitted to the Huntersville Town Board for scheduling a joint public hearing to consider the designation of the John Milton Alexander House as a historic landmark. I will let you know the time and the date. Be advised that the owner will most likely oppose historic landmark designation. 12. Historic Charlotte, Inc. will most likely transfer to the HLC its Knight Foundation Grant ($45,000) to build and bathroom/interpretive center at the Davidson Schoolhouse at Rural Hill. Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Dan L. Morrill |
