HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-27-2006 Grant for Conservatories and Greenhouses Announced PRACK
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Office of the Mayor
NEWS RELEASE
Monday,November 27, 2006
Contact: Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications& Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564
Catherine Hostetler, Historic Preservation Commission, 235-9798
Mark Bradley, South Bend Park and Recreation Department, 299-4765
Grant for Conservatories and Greenhouses Announced
Mayor Steve Luecke and Catherine Hostetler, Executive Director of the Historic
Preservation Commission today announced the receipt of a grant for $52,000 for repairs
to the Ella Morris & Muessel-Ellison Conservatories and Potawatomi Greenhouses.
According to Charles F. Nelson, Vice-President and Senior Trust Administrator, the
Advisory Committee of the Florence V. Carroll Charitable Trust,the Stanley A. and
Flora P. Clark Memorial Trust Foundation,the John, Anna, and Martha Jane Fields Trust
Foundation, and the Muessel-Ellison Memorial Trust Foundation awarded the grant to the
Historic Preservation Commission.
Following the submission of the grant request by Catherine Hostetler and a letter
of support from the Common Council, Mayor Luecke met with representatives of Wells
Fargo Bank to confirm the short term and long term capitol and operating needs for the
continuation of the Conservatories and Greenhouses.
The grant application was based on the report completed in September by Glass
Garden Builders, Lord & Burnham Greenhouse Specialists. Glass Garden Builders
estimated the cost for restorations to be approximately $50-70,000 and would include:
Replacing broken and cracked glass lites
Removing all inappropriate patch materials
Repair and replacement of ventilation motors and thermostats
Repair and replacement of roof vent sash thermostat controls
Replacement of rac and pinions for roof vent sash
Replacement of improper pipe
Repair of exterior masonry
Installation of boiler room fan for better functioning
Reinforce eaves
Upgrading exhaust fan in Dome
Sealing all gutter connections to improve drainage and prevent future damage
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In addition to the plan for short-term repairs provided by Glass Garden Builders,
the South Bend Park Department also hired Kil Architecture and Planning to provide
recommendations for short term upgrades as well as long term and master plan
improvements. The two short term plans are similar in scope and are the first step to a
long term solution for maintaining the historic conservatories and greenhouses.
Mayor Luecke thanked Wells Fargo Bank, on behalf of the Trusts and
Foundations for their generosity in support of the Conservatories and Greenhouse and
Catherine Hostetler for her grant writing assistance. He has asked that, "steps be taken,
next, to coordinate the short term repairs for maximum efficiency and as well as setting
the stage for the next phase of long term improvements." Mayor Luecke added, "The
South Bend Park and Recreation Department,the Botanical Society of South Bend, and
the Historic Preservation Commission, as well as hundreds of volunteers are working
hard to keep these facilities open for our community to enjoy. This grant allows us to
move forward with the first step, and encourages us on toward our next goal of
enhancing and improving this historic community asset."
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