Grand Island historic-preservation panel votes to seek $5,000 annual pay for town historian; discusses cemeteries, Nike base mapping and moving historic house

At a meeting of the Grand Island Historic Preservation Board, members voted to ask that the town increase the annual stipend for the town historian, Jody, to $5,000 and discussed several preservation priorities including cemetery stewardship, outreach around the former Nike base, and options to relocate or otherwise protect an at‑risk historic cottage and other structures.

Board members said the raise for the historian is intended to cover basic compensation and travel costs for conferences and record‑keeping. The board chair asked for a motion “that we should ask for an increase in Jody’s salary to $5,000 per year.” A board member seconded the motion and the board voted in favor. The motion also directed that the increase be submitted as a budget request to the town supervisor’s office for the 2026 budget cycle.

The board discussed several other preservation matters that members said warrant a focused effort. Members reported ongoing efforts to inventory and steward multiple local cemeteries and to develop an exhibit or public program about them; the board debated whether to prepare exhibits one…