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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Wednesday Briefs

Davis Vanguard Radio Show Tonight

KDRT 101.5 FM Tonight from 6 PM to 7 PM
Call in number: (530) 792-1648

Julian Posadas, a statewide organizer for AFSCME Local 3299 will be on the show. He helped organize in Santa Cruz to make their workers university employees, and now he is located out at UC Santa Barbara. For those of you who had questions or concerns, he will be taking calls to address them.


Historic Resources Management Commission Needs New Membership

If you’ve ever thought about serving on a City of Davis commission, please consider volunteering for the Historical Resources Management Commission. There are seats for seven commissioners, but we currently only have four members.

To be qualified for the HRMC, all you need to be is an adult resident of Davis with full command of the English language. You don’t need to have a background in architecture or history or any other special skills. However, if these subjects interest you, you’ll enjoy the work of this commission.

The HRMC meets just one evening a month. (It is normally the third Monday at 7:00 p.m. at the Hattie Webber Museum at the corner of 5th and C Streets.) The meetings generally last around two hours, so serving on the HRMC is not a great time commitment. We do receive a packet of information the week before our meeting, so you can expect a couple of hours of preparation for the meetings.

Here is the bulk of what we do:

1. When owners of historically significant properties in Davis propose changes to the exteriors of their houses or commercial buildings, the HRMC reviews the proposals, deciding whether the changes conform with design guidelines.

2. When other projects are proposed near historically significant properties, we review and comment upon these projects, insofar as they affect the neighboring property or district.

3. We also (with City Council approval) authorize surveys of historic resources, to determine what is and is not historically significant in Davis.

4. Finally, we are charged with promoting Davis’s history. To that end, we participate in the planning and preparation of city events and so on that deal with Davis history. This year, for example, we are taking part in the planning for events related to the 100 year anniversary of the opening of UC Davis.

A nice side benefit for publicly minded people in serving on the HRMC is that you get to participate in the discussions which shape the direction of our downtown and its surrounding older neighborhoods and you will learn a lot about the history of Davis.

If you would like to apply, please contact Ike Njoku at (530) 757-5610 or email. If you would like to observe a meeting of the HRMC before applying, please come to our April 21 meeting at the Hattie Webber at 7 pm.

Submitted by Rich Rifkin, member of HMRC