MEETING NOTES
                        Charlottesville Historic Resources Committee
                           Friday, May 14, 2021; 11:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.
                                   Remote meeting via Zoom
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....
 HRC Members present             HRC Members not present        Staff present
 Phil Varner, Co-vice-chair      Rachel Lloyd, Chair            Jeff Werner
 Sally Duncan, Co-vice-chair     Ellen Wagner                   Robert Watkins
 Kay Slaughter
 William Clay III
 Heather Hill
 Dede Smith
 Margaret O’Bryant
 Genevieve Keller
 Jalane Schmidt

   1. Call to order:
      Co-vice-chair Phil Varner calls the meeting to order. Varner opens the floor up to public
      comment but the HRC receives no public comment.

      Approval of the agenda:
      Dede Smith requests time for a discussion about the walking tour map before the
      discussion about the Slave Auction Block site.

      Heather Hill moves to approve the amended agenda. Smith seconds motion. Motion
      passes unanimously.


   2. Approval of meeting notes:
      Smith moves to approve the February 19, 2021 HRC meeting notes. Kay Slaughter
      seconds motion. With Varner abstaining, motion passes unanimously.

      Margaret O’Bryant moves to approve the March 12, 2021 HRC meeting notes. Smith
      seconds motion. With William Clay III abstaining, motion passes unanimously.

      Smith moves to approve April 9, 2021 HRC meeting notes with discussed revisions. Clay
      seconds motion. With Sally Duncan and Hill abstaining, motion passes unanimously.

   3. Walking Tour Subommittee Update
      Smith offers an update on the subcommittee’s progress. Smith and Slaughter had met
      between the April and May HRC meetings and organized a preliminary spreadsheet of
      sites. Subcommittee proposes that different locations on map would focus on specific
      historical moments (early history at Court Square, mercantile nineteenth-century history
      at Main Street, etc.).




HRC May 14, 2021 Meeting Notes
      Committee members express concern that limiting each geographic vantage point to a
      specific century or historical moment will imply that the area’s historic significance is
      limited to that time.

   4. Planning Engagement for Slave Auction Block site:
      Jalane Schmidt updates committee on May 5 meeting with descendant community
      representatives, planning future engagement for Slave Auction Block site.

      Schmidt and Robert Watkins review the following feedback from descendants at the
      meeting:
         • Engagement meetings be held at a variety of times and locations to allow as many
             people to participate as possible.
         • Be patient in the process. The process is as important as the result.
         • Keep people informed about the site; not everybody is familiar with it.

      Committee discusses holding large public meetings once health situation allows.

      Varner asks how committee will determine who to listen to the most. Schmidt
      recommends that the committee prioritize those who can trace ancestry to Albemarle
      County.

   5. Staff Updates:
          a. Daughters of Zion Cemetery Marker
          Watkins updates committee that updated marker is installed and will be recognized at
          Decoration Day ceremony on May 30.

          Smith reads a letter from the Preservers of the Daughters of Zion Cemetery
          expressing gratitude for updated marker.

          b. Status of Cost-Share Grant Application for Downtown Mall
          Staff offers background on Downtown Mall study and describes grant application
          submitted to DHR for funding. Committee members express concern about multi-
          phased approach, but staff confirms that scope of work remains the same.

   6. Coordinate Agenda for June HRC Meeting:
      Committee discusses items to include on June HRC agenda, including engagement
      updates for Slave Auction Block site, walking tour map, and a discussion about the
      disposition of the Confederate statues.




HRC May 14, 2021 Meeting Notes
                                         Mission Statement
The mission of the Charlottesville Historic Resources Committee is to advocate for historic
preservation; to promote an appreciation of local historic resources, both tangible and intangible;
and to encourage and coordinate, with appropriate municipal agencies, civic organizations,
institutions and individual scholars, the documentation and interpretation of local history.

The Charlottesville Historic Resources Committee achieves its mission through:
   • Education
   • Public commemoration (historic plaques, signs, markers, and civic festivals and
      ceremonies)
   • Publications (maps, brochures, tour books, and digital media)
   • Public meetings (planning sessions, workshops, and lectures)
   • And through other means.

* Regarding public comment(s). The HRC values community participation and input and
welcomes public comments at meetings. At the beginning of each meeting, not more than 10
minutes will be allowed for the introduction of any guests and public comments. Speakers may
speak for a maximum of two-minutes and shall begin by identifying their name and address. The
intent is to allow public input; not initiate a dialogue or debate with the committee. Subsequent
to this meeting segment, by majority approval the HRC may amend the agenda to allow further
discussion; however, the motion should also establish a time limit for that discussion.
Additionally, prior to adjourning--and applying the conditions above--the HRC may allow a
period not to exceed five minutes for public comment.




HRC May 14, 2021 Meeting Notes