My term expires at the end of March 2011 and in February we will elect new a new Chair and Vice-Chair.  I’ve been elected Chair since late 2002 and appreciate being given that honor by the Commission’s different members, many of whom are distinguished community leaders and authorities in their specialties.  We have today and have had a great mix of residents who have volunteered for the Commission.  It’s not a given that anyone can be appointed to a city commission by the Mayor and Council, so that is a privilege in itself.  

With these honors comes some responsibility.  I wanted to be on this Commission, so when appointed I knew that the only choice was to give it my very best.  That included a lot more than just showing up at meetings.  This same feeling has been shared by most of our members, past and present.  Historic preservation cannot operate in a vacuum.  We’ve done a lot of outreach to neighborhoods, other boards and commissions, the City Council and those fine individuals who wanted their homes listed on the Tempe Historic Property Register.  The vast majority of that has been very productive and pleasant.  Tempe’s residents are known for being civil and respectful of others, even when we differ in opinion.

And it’s been fun.  I’ve always liked challenges and the Commission has reviewed some memorable and controversial projects.  Some of my favorites included a request to put a 25-story high rise on top of what is likely our most significant historic property, the C. T. Hayden House, now Monti’s la Casa Vieja.  That got turned down but we found an acceptable solution.  I also enjoyed reviewing proposals for developing the Hayden Flour Mill property, a challenge in many ways but one that hopefully will come to fruition in the not too distant future.

Proud that we have four historic districts designated under my tenure, including the first district in Arizona that got listed after the passage of eminent domain Prop 207 in 2006.  That success was due mostly to the very active people who live in Date Palm Manor that worked hard to get 93% of the homeowners to sign Prop 207 waivers. 

My only regret was the division brought about by the proposed listing of the historic Maple-Ash neighborhood.  Was very surprised to see the magnitude of opposition and sad to see how the proposed designation drove neighbors apart.  It was resolved by withdrawing the nomination, which I fully supported.  Also regret that I didn’t handle the public meeting well.  It’s unlikely there will be a historic district in Maple-Ash because of the underlying multi-family and commercial zoning, but the good news is that we are adding individual listings within the historic neighborhood and hope to keep up the momentum.   This is a challenge for others in the future.

Volunteerism, no matter what the form, can be the most satisfying thing that we do in life.  I’ve loved what I’ve done and have found it extremely rewarding.  We all need to make the effort to help our city and our community members by volunteering and doing the best that we can.