Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Minutes of Past Meetings
Talleyrand Park Committee
Minutes of February 27, 1980, meeting
The meeting was called to order at 8:20 p.m. by Steve Deutsch at the home of the Deutsches.
The committee members attending were: S. and R. Deutsch, D. and R. Shetlar, R. and T. Fisher, M. Chadwick, A. and R. Jacobs, S. Segalstad, J. and B. Olson, P. Schneeman, J. Blasko, and G. Dunne, M. and R. Cutietta, J. Yeager, K. and N. Uhler.
The minutes of the January meeting were approved as read.
Treasurer's Report - presented by Joan Blasko
Checking account balance - 1/16/80 $ 361.70
Coloring books 5.00
Visiting Santa 10.00
Embassy party proceeds 937.50
952.50
Total assets 1314.20
Grove printing 27.56
Embassy party 243.24
Total expenses - 270.80
Current balance - 2/27/80 1043.40
Donation by B.P.O.E. +1015.00
Immediate disposition of the generous $1,000 donation from the Elks was debated. The greater portion of it would ultimately be used to repay CETA for financing fence completion costs. Opinion was divided between investment in a six-month certificate of deposit until the repayment date (September, 1980) and immediate repayment as an expression of our good will. A compromise solution was reached: immediate repayment of one-half of the loan with the outstanding balance to be paid when the fence is completed, not later than September, 1980.
Committee Reports
Fund-raising Committees
1. $20/section Committee
This committee could now be dissolved because available funds are adequate to complete fence construction.
2. "VIP Auction"
Little progress on this project was made in the last month, according to Rene Shetlar, because the time and energy of some members of this committee had been claimed by "Call Me Madam." A fresh printing of George Gray Barnard stationery had been made up by Grove printers; several sample letters soliciting donation of items for auction had been typed on the stationery and were circulated for critical evaluation of the wording. There was general dissatisfaction with the text of the letter, so it was returned to the committee for revisions.
Since the timetable for this project had suffered a setback, a May date hardly seemed feasible. Preparations could be made by early fall and the committee will arrive at several possible dates for the event. A major obstacle in planning this auction has proved to be locating addresses of celebrities, and Renee requested general committee participation in this research. She suggested a deadline of April 15 for completing the address search.
3. Embassy party
Steve Deutsch delivered the final report on the party, which had been held on February 22. This successful fundraiser had realized a net profit of $694.26. On behalf of the Talleyrand Park Committee, Steve expressed gratitude to the Dunnes for opening their home for the affair and to all those committee members who planned and contributed to the party.
Because of some vagueness concerning the status of some names entered on an old list of Talleyrand Park Committee members, Renee Shetlar recommended updating the list to prevent misunderstandings from arising in the future. The fact that the list might have been outdated had caused concern during the planning of the embassy party.
HUD grant
Deadlines for the letter of intent and for the application have been met, according to Jerry Olson. The only requirement to be satisfied is to prepare the books for audit. Don Peters had planned to engage a CPA's services to certify the books. This action was endorsed by the Committee. It was noted that the grant would not be awarded until July and the fund must be expended within twelve months. Steve Deutsch observed that it would be prudent to develop an overall plan for Talleyrand Park as well as to more specifically define the design of already conceived projects so that time would not be wasted if the Committee were a grant recipient. Neither should fundraising projects be abandoned, since the potential grant would probably underwrite only part of the costs to complete the sculpture garden.
Landscape Committee
Matt Chadwick again reassured us that the weeping cherry tree, destroyed last year in the Park, would be replaced by the Borough. It will not be necessary to obtain estimates.
Dave Shetlar raised the problem of water pooling on the flat land around the fountain, discouraging a healthy growth of grass, and recommended dumping landfill in the area. Kerry Uhler felt that the excess water might be better channeled either towards the millrace or towards the stone wall lining the creek banks. This will be debated in committee.
Dave Shetlar then invited suggestions from the group regarding shrubs and trees to be planted along the walkway and around the train station.
It was unanimously agreed that the spruce on the island that had fallen over should be totally removed. This responsibility will probably be handled by the Borough. The perpetually damp soil of that region should be considered in future plans for landscaping.
It was urged by Kerry Uhler that trees be planted soon along the fence bordering Claster's to serve as a visual screen. Jay Claster had generously agreed to donate trees; Dave Shetlar stated that hemlocks would fill the requirements.
Design Committee
Steve Deutsch's resignation as chairman prompted a reorganization of this committee. Because increased planning activity and responsibility was anticipated in the months to come, it was decided to create a design triumvirate. Each member would direct the planning of a large project, viz. the sculpture garden (Rob Fisher), bridges (Kerry Uhler), and the millrace (D. Shetlar), assisted by other Design Committee members. In addition, Joan Blasko volunteered her services to finalize plans for the gingerbread trim on the gazebo.
Old Business
Renee Shetlar requested that those Committee members who had distributed Centre County coloring books to area merchants should determine whether or not those merchants wish to keep the books in stock. This endeavor yielded only $29.
New Business
1. Anne Jacobs volunteered to assume Siri Segalstad's work on the Call Committee. Laura Brown will continue to serve on the committee.
2. Rob Cutietta expressed concern about plans in store for the facade on the former Acme market adjacent to the park. The building will probably be a Rea and Derrick drugstore. It is to be hoped that the design would be compatible with the park as well as the surrounding architecture. Particulars regarding the next occupants and their remodeling plans may be available from the Borough's Licensing and Inspection Department. Steve Deutsch will research this and report back to the TPC. A discussion was held on whether or not to attempt to influence building design. No decision was reached, but the point was made that if the building lies within the boundaries of
the historic district, all exterior plans must be approved by the Architectural Review Board.
3. Steve Deutsch raised the issue of assuming responsibility for the Talleyrand Park Arts and Crafts Fair this spring. The group had received casual inquiries to this effect. Although TPC members had been individually involved in planning the fair in the past, the event was never undertaken by the Committee as a whole. The upshot of the ensuing debate was that because of adverse factors the TPC should defer management of the Fair for this year. Those negative aspects were the fair's tarnished reputation in recent years, craftsmen's expressed preference for a fall date, and the TPC's current diversion of time and talents toward planning the auction in the early fall.
4. Kerry Uhler brought to the group's attention a potential future outlet for expansion of our energies -- purchase and restoration of the Garman Opera House to serve as a performing arts center. Preliminary investigation into the availability of the building shows that this presents the first obstacle. This project was not explored in detail during the meeting, but the topic will be re-raised in the future.
The March meeting is scheduled for March 19 at the home of Jerry and Becky Olson.
The meeting was adjourned at 11 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Gay D. Dunne