Committee approves plaque plan, sends book-reprint agreement to city attorney

The Pacific History Committee voted to forward a proposed reproduction agreement for the 1976 local history book In Retrospect to the city attorney for review and approved a selection plan for historic plaques, using money already in this year’s budget.

The agreement concerns In Retrospect, a book written by Sue Reed that collects area history and local photos. Committee members said Reed and her family will retain copyright under the proposed terms and that the author requested one factual correction and the words “Second Edition” on a reprint’s cover. The committee voted to send the draft agreement to the city attorney for legal review and for final approval by the board of aldermen.

Committee members said the plaque project will proceed using funds already budgeted for the year and that the $25,000 matching grant the committee sought through Missouri Humanities was not awarded. The committee approved a plan to produce 20 plaques now — 7 stand‑alone markers and 13 wall‑mounted plaques — and to reserve funds for maps and future plaques in subsequent years.

Committee members discussed costs and placement in detail. They reported the town has about 34 candidate sites identified in packet materials; staff recommended staging the project to keep interest over multiple years. Cost estimates presented to the committee included roughly $1,200 per wall plaque with installation and a discounted rate of about $1,500 each for stand‑alone plaques if a minimum order of five stand‑alone units is placed. Committee members said the per‑unit price would rise substantially if fewer than five stand‑alone plaques are ordered.

Members raised concerns about mounting plaques on private residences because of privacy, trespass and tenant concerns; the committee said staff will seek written permission and a hold‑harmless agreement from property owners before any plaque is installed. Members also discussed using QR codes and maps to add more interpretive content without increasing plaque text.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve minutes from the prior meeting — outcome: approved (motion carried). The transcript records the motion, a second and a voice vote of “Aye.” - Motion to send the proposed reproduction agreement for In Retrospect to the city attorney for review — outcome: approved (motion carried). The committee voted in favor after a motion and second; no recorded roll‑call tally was given in the transcript. - Motion to adopt the plaque plan (7 stand‑alone markers and 13 wall‑mounted plaques) and proceed with staff follow‑up and board of aldermen approval — outcome: approved (motion carried). The motion was made, seconded, and approved by voice vote.

Committee members said next steps are: finalize the count and photographs for each plaque, obtain property owner permissions for any private sites, request a final quote from the vendor, and present the expenditure to the board of aldermen for release of budgeted funds. Committee members noted remaining plaque candidates will be considered in future budget cycles so the effort remains visible in the community.

The committee also reviewed why the Missouri Humanities matching grant application was not selected: staff said the funder requested specific installation dates and speaker events as part of the application and the committee could not yet supply those dates; staff were told the program received many applications and funded a subset of projects.

The meeting record shows the committee intends to keep about $2,000–$3,000 in reserve from the current allocation to pay for a drawn map and associated printed materials that will accompany the plaque trail.