November 26, 2008
ALPHARETTA – Now that Alpharetta has gained its Preserve America status, city staff and local historians want to leverage that distinction and all the work that's gone into the city's sesquicentennial celebrations into a grant to preserve the city's history.
"We want to make sure Alpharetta history is safe for future generations," said Grants Administrator Amanda Day at Nov. 17's City Council meeting.
Day presented a $64,500 Preserve America grant application that City Council approved. The grant requires a 50 percent local match, but Day told council she, Special Events Coordinator Kim Dodson and Economic Development Director Christopher Jones determined the hours they plan to work on the project will be an in-kind contribution worth almost $19,000 of that $32,250 match. That left the city with a little less than $8,000 to add.
Day said she, Dodson and local historians have come up with a three-pronged plan for the grant. The site of the farmhouse in the city's original settlement has been discovered. They plan to have an archeological survey of the initial settlement. Any historic artifacts found in the survey could help place the time of activity at the site, and be used in an interpretive display.
The second part of the plan is to conduct an architectural survey on the buildings and homes in Alpharetta's downtown.
Finally, an Alpharetta History Room would be created in the City Center to collect and display results of the surveys, artifacts and historic documents. This part of the project would include gaining resources and creating guidelines on the proper handling, storage and use of the historical photographs, journals, books, artifacts and other documents maintained in the History Room.
"This is something that is very dear to my heart," said City Clerk Sue Rainwater.
She told council she had hoped the city would have some kind of preservation plan in place before she retires.
"We do have a lot of work to do. But we have never in the city of Alpharetta tried to preserve our history. So it's time for us to do that," Rainwater said.
Mayor Arthur Letchas voiced his only concern that staff was in danger of taking on too much extra work with the project, but Day reassured him that her time already was committed in her position as the grant's administrator, and both Dodson and Jones planned to spend the five hours per week on the projects anyhow because it is of special interest to them.
Local resident Don Nasur stepped up to support the grant application and projects it proposes, also easing the mayor's worries.
"I think it's an excellent program. And I'm sure that if the hours of the city employees becomes a burden, that there will be a number of volunteers in the community that would step forward and help them," Nasur said.
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