Anderson Rosenwald Project Planning Committee Meeting
The Anderson Rosenwald Project Planning Committee met on Friday, January 8, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. in the basement fellowship hall of Mt. Olive Baptist Church.
Attending were: David & Willa Wyatt, Richard Dillingham, Dan Slagle, Omar McClain, Dorothy & Ray Rapp, Fatimah Shabazz, Scott Donald, Charity Ray, and Simone Bouyer.
Willa welcomed everyone to the meeting. She distributed the agenda, and copies of the minutes from September 2015. She will send the financial report via email.
Minutes: The minutes from September 2015 were approved. At the December meeting, children from the New City Christian School visited. There were about 10 adults and 28 children from grades three through six. The schoool meets at Trinity Baptist Church. They would like to visit our school annually.
Alumni: No report. Charity goes by to check on the work crew. She talks to them and they enjoy her visits. They are proud to be part of the effort to rehabilitate the school. On Tuesday, January 5 two vans visited the school. Tommy Justus brought 30 folks from all over. Polly Cheek was present too.
Fundraising: Account is up $220. No bills have been received. David spoke with Robbie russell who is now with PMC. He will present our packet of information to the PMC committee. He is happy the school is being saved and will contact others. A list of all contacts is needed.
Construction: David reports that if the weather holds up the addition will be framed in. He contacted Mike Griffin at Haynes Plumbing who will work free of charge. Clark Wyatt organized the work crew. All are licensed professionals. Jerry Howard from the hardware store is the supervisor. David will meet with Jeff Loven at French Broad EMC for the heater installation. He is asking everyone for contributions of materials and time. The windows have arrived and will probably be last to be installed. The doors contributed from MHU’s Owen Theatre are the right size and can be used. They are heavy doors with five panels. The new cost for each door would have been $500.
Scott met with the carpenters. He suggested they begin work on the big hole in the side of the building. The ramp will need to be moved during construction. Willa will ask Madison County Schools to take it down. Work on the underpining will begin. The blocks are up and the framing should start on Monday. Tom Willis made the original support blocks. He was a historic maker of blocks, providing foundations for many Madison County churches and buildings. The options for the underpining were: 1) brick pillars with the underneath exposed; 2) repair and stucco the existing underpining; 3) expose brick pillars and put stucco behind pillars. The group agrees that the 3rd option will look nice. The foundation will be repaired where the tree grew through. The chimney will be rebuilt, but not functional. A coal stove will be on display, but not functional.
The new addition is two feet taller than the original. There is room for two bathrooms and a utility room. The addition can be designed to suit our needs. The circuit box can go in the utility room. The siding on the back of the building should be preserved if possible. The siding from the back could be used on the front of the building. The donated siding can be used on the back since it is not an exact match with the original siding. A drawing is needed for the electrical layout. It should include the outlets, lights, fire alarm, and any technology needed. French Broad EMC will advise. In planning for the future use of the space, 16 outlets would be good for interactive panels. It is illegal to use extension cords in schools.
The windows have arrived! Marvin Windows gave us a discount. The big windows cost $1,715/each. A window funding sheet is needed. Willa distributed a page detailing how contributions could be made for a full window, or half of a window. There are three sizes of windows used in the school. The total cost for all of the windows is $26,000. Simone will work with Scott to include a picture of each window on the funding sheet. It also needs to be added to the website, and to facebook. A donor board can be added to one wall in the school to thank contributors. Stephens Lee has a similar board. Fatimah will go there tomorrow to present our window funding plan to the alumni committee.
History: Dan reminds us to preserve the history of the structure. He found several artifacts at the school. A transistor radio made in 1964 was found near the coal bin. He also found a milk bottle from the Anderson Dairy, a Nehi bottle, and a red pencil made by the American Pencil company. The rain is washing some debris down hill. There could be more stuff to be found.
Barbara Briggs Willard, sister to Beth Ross, is on the board of Appalachian Studies at UNCA. She wants to visit the school. The Briggs family gave the right of way for the school to be built. She is interested in the history of the school. The Briscoes worked for the Briggs.
Work Days: Dan needs volunteers to work inside on the ceiling. Scaffolding will be set-up for the careful removal of the bead board ceiling. This original bead board will be used on the walls. Please be handy with a hammer for precise and careful removal. The new windows may need to be moved. The windows will be one of the last things installed. Possible to store them in the addition while working on the ceiling. There is a video online about restoring schools. One of the topics is on insulation. The walls need to breathe. A mold inhibitor could be used. Vapor barriers will trap moisture, contributing to mold and peeling paint. Tar paper does not breathe. House wrap is best, but it needs to go outside of the building under the siding. Inside the building, in the walls, unfaced insulation should be used. Ask the contractor to advise. The school system can provide hard hats. Wear a mask and googles for this work.
Looking Ahead: The annual MLK Prayer Breakfast takes place January 16. David and Will lan to attend. Tickets are $30 each. Two outhouses will be constructed, for display only, outside of the school. Willa will contact local schools regarding Black History Month presentations. A DVD and a brochure could be presented to the teachers. A van is available for transporting alumni. The Our Story, This Place history banner will be on display at the Madison County Board of Education central office. A hour-long presentation could be made for 4th-8th graders during the second week in February.
Topline Trophies will have the details and specifications for creating a donor board. Melba Pickens can advise. Family names could be included on the board. A memory book could hold more details, such as each child’s name and the names of all teachers. Stories and photos are sought for the memory book. A copy of the guest book from the exhibition held at the Rural Heritage museum is still needed from Les Reker.
Media: Paul Eggers wrote an article on the groundbreaking, which was held in November, for the News Record and Sentinel. A copy of his article also ran in the December issue of the Urban News. Ryan has posted the video on YouTube.
Other News: The railroad exhibit at the Rural Heritage museum will end at the end of January. It will be moving to Marion, NC for two months. It will be on display in Oteen in July, August, and September.
The meeting adjourned at 12:12 p.m.
The Friends of the Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School will meet again Friday, February 12 at 10 a.m. in the basement fellowship hall of Mt. Olive Baptist Church.
Respectfully submitted,
Simone Bouyer