Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Commission recommends three reappointments, reviews finances and outreach plans

The Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Commission voted to recommend the reappointment of Nora Harris, Patrick Vale and Dusty Morton and heard updates on finances, awards nominations and cemetery outreach.

The reappointments were moved, seconded and approved by roll call. Commissioners recorded affirmative votes from Kayla, Fred, Nora Harris, the presiding official, Dusty Morton and Melissa; Patrick Vale was absent. Commission staff said they will prepare the memo to the city clerk’s office to advance the recommendations.

The action secures continuity on the commission as members finish partial terms and begin new full terms. Commission members said they will submit the paperwork promptly to the clerk’s office so the appointments can proceed.

Commission staff reported a small balance in the city-held account and larger balances in two O’Connor funds. The city-held (Citi) account balance was reported as $800.20. The O’Connor 1 account was reported at $72,427.69 with an available balance of $17,318.94; O’Connor 2 was reported at $455,862.92 with an expendable balance of $53,579.24. Staff also said the Kalamazoo Community Foundation has placed new restrictions on its grants such that the commission may not directly disburse foundation funds to third parties; staff is setting up dedicated subaccounts in the Citi fund to track restricted dollars and said those disbursements will require additional city review and processing.

The commission discussed small operational items, including a $10 overage on a recent catering order (bringing a $250 order to $260) and the possibility of formalizing preapproval processes for routine expenditures.

In public comment, Evan Kutzler, associate professor of history at Western Michigan University, updated the commission on a public-history project focused on Westnidge Park / Pioneer Cemetery. “We are entering the first phase was a intro to public history class. The second phase is ongoing now. Well, it will start in the late spring where we'll be bringing ground penetrating radar,” Kutzler said, and asked the commission for input on permanent digital or physical interpretation and for possible connections to local partners such as the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. Kutzler said his team hopes to secure external funding and solicited ideas and contacts from commissioners.

The commission’s awards subcommittee reported changes to this year’s nomination form intended to surface projects that advance preservation of underrepresented or untold stories in Kalamazoo. Nominations were reported open now, with a deadline the commission set to be April 2 so entries can be considered at the commission’s April 9 meeting. The subcommittee also proposed judging criteria and discussed whether the subcommittee should pre-screen nominations to shorten full-commission deliberations.

Separately, a cemetery-subcommittee update described work on a pocket guide to Kalamazoo cemeteries; staff and volunteers said they are aiming for a concise, accessible guide and will rely on partner organizations for distribution and digital access.

On training and networking, the commission said it will continue its practice of covering registration (tuition) for commissioners who attend the Michigan Historic Preservation Network conference; staff asked interested commissioners to notify them by the early-bird deadline of April 2. The conference was reported as scheduled for May 15–17 in Sault Ste. Marie; the commission also tentatively proposed holding its awards ceremony on May 28.

The meeting closed with reminders to cover April agenda items (including any disbursement approvals needed for the awards event) and with staff offering to post outreach materials on the City of Kalamazoo website and to coordinate mailing or email distribution on city letterhead.

Next steps listed in the meeting included submitting the reappointment memo to the city clerk, continuing setup of dedicated accounts for restricted foundation funds, finalizing awards nominations for the April 9 meeting, and following up on the cemetery guide and Kutzler’s public-history outreach.