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2005-05-24 SRA Special Meeting MinutesSRA Minutes May 24, 2005 Page 1 of 2 MINUTES OF THE BOARD MEETING OF THE SALEM REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY HELD ON MAY 24, 2005 A Special Meeting of the Salem Redevelopment Authority (SRA) Board was held in the third floor conference room at the City Hall Annex, 120 Washington Street, on Tuesday, May 24, 2005 at 5:30pm. Chairman Michael Brennan called the meeting to order and on roll call, the following members were present: Michael Brennan, Michael Connelly, Christine Sullivan, and Russell Vickers. Lynn Duncan, Executive Director, and Debra Tucker, Clerk, were also present. Lappin Park Ms. Duncan presented the agreement for the Bewitched statue and its placement in Lappin Park as negotiated and revised. The agreement is a three party agreement between the City of Salem as signed by the Mayor, the SRA, and TV Land and had been revised several times in order to incorporate comments and suggestions from the board and the City Solicitor. Ms. Duncan read the Agreement aloud and noted the most recent changes to it. Ms. Sullivan suggested that the City request photos from TV Land that they could use since they are going to be doing publicity “shoots” with a good photographer. She thought that the City might be able to use these pictures in the future for advertising or other purposes. Ms. Sullivan noted that the statue had been a difficult issue for her and that she tried to balance things. There will be major work to improve the park by TV Land, which would be a significant contribution. TV Land will benefit from the publicity and the City will as well. She added that there would be a long relationship with TV Land in the future. She hoped that TV Land would help the City create a fund for the maintenance and installation of statues that would reflect our history and our heritage. Mr. Vickers said that the parties involved in the matter had spent a lot of time and effort to reach an agreement that is amicable to all the parties and thought it represented the best effort of all. He added that he supported signing the agreement as is. Mr. Connelly agreed with Mr. Vickers and added that item 12 of the agreement regarding indemnity was significant and takes the City off the hook and makes it essentially TV Land’s responsibility. He felt that everyone would benefit and stated that he supported signing the agreement. Mr. Brennan said that everyone had put a lot of thought into the matter and that the board had heard from a lot of people. He said that the board gave the matter thought as a whole and individually. He said that it would be good for the City and that particular side of the street and the nearby businesses. Jean Harrison of 1 Orne Square spoke against the statue. She noted that she had found information concerning the Andy Griffith statue in North Carolina and the repeated vandalism to it. She was dismayed that TV Land decided that the statue would be redesigned and that the fishing pole, the item vandalized, would be omitted. Ms. Harrison expressed concern about liability and safety and gave the example of someone standing in the street and photographing the statue, who could be hit by a car. Mr. Brennan and Ms. Sullivan felt that the agreement, especially the clause concerning life and limb and the 10-day condition to respond, addressed the concern. Mr. Brennan noted that tourists photograph other statues and attractions and Halloween draws crowds into the streets. Ms. Sullivan stated that the Design Review Board required that the statue be moved back from the street. SRA Minutes May 24, 2005 Page 2 of 2 Ms. Harrison stated that she was deeply concerned about the 10-year clause to keep the statue. She stated that with her background in the arts, she has seen that designs do not always look the same when produced. She noted that no one had seen the statue. She felt that Salem has been branded as the Witch City, but that it is moving forward. Ms. Harrison wondered if the residents of all of the new condos in Salem would appreciate the statue. She said that she had spoken to the Phoenix School and they were not happy. Councilor Tom Furey of 21 Barstow St. thanked the board for their perseverance and patience and congratulated them on the way that they handled the matter. He also complimented the board on their work on the various condo developments downtown and the Old Salem Jail redevelopment. Mr. Furey noted that the Bewitched statue is a credit to and in the best interest of the City of Salem and would be a big asset. He stated that there is a lot of “not in my backyard” sentiment in Salem and pointed to the Korean War Memorial and its placement at the Salem Willows park. He wished the board luck. Mr. Brennan thanked Councilor Furey for his comments. Jean Harrison said that she had spoken with a city planner in Boston, who had thought that the City would get more from TV Land. She asked if the board had spoken to other cities that had received statues from TV Land. Mr. Brennan stated that they had not. Christian Day of 18 Oliver St. spoke in favor of the statue and seconded Councilor Furey’s comments concerning the board. He said that the City had marketed itself as the Witch City for many years. Ms. Sullivan stated that she had moved to Salem for the history. She added that the issue of the statue has been polarizing and that she felt that there needed to be room for everyone. She noted that 2007 is the 200- year anniversary of the death of Samuel McIntire and hoped that it would be celebrated. Mr. Day compared the complainants to someone who would move to Chinatown and then complain about the Chinese restaurants in the area. Ms. Harrison commented that she had moved to Salem from London for the history. Mr. Brennan added that he moved to Salem 19 years ago and has seen a shift from the witch connection to the Peabody Essex Museum and history. Ms. Harrison presented a letter from Richard Trask and asked the board to delay signing the agreement in order to give more thought to the 10-year commitment. Mr. Vickers moved that the Salem Redevelopment Authority sign the contract among the City of Salem, the Salem Redevelopment Authority, and TV Land concerning the Bewitched statue installation in Lappin Park as negotiated and presented. Mr. Connelly seconded the motion, and the motion passed (4-0). The Agreement is hereby attached and made a part of these Minutes. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Mr. Vickers motioned to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Sullivan seconded the motion, and the motion passed (4-0). Meeting stands adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Debra Tucker Clerk