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2016 Summer-Fall Remembrances Newsletter 1 Remembrances Newsletter of the Schertz Historical Preservation Committee Summer/Fall Edition 2016 It’s been a busy spring and summer for the Committee. Our spring schedule began in April with our participation in a local developer’s (Crossvine) filming project focusing on a narrative and video history of our city. The filming project continues to be developed and the Committee will receive a copy of the final DVD product when completed. A Crossvine developer’s gift donation of a sizeable number of Schertz City history books proved of benefit to the City and the Committee. We participated in the Annual City Volunteer Fair. The Committee took part in a weekend community clean-up event targeting the neighborhood of Aviation Heights, our most recently designated Heritage Neighborhood. We finalized the Heritage Neighborhood banner development project and received the banners from the printing company. We were especially busy during the month of May. Our May activity schedule included the donation of two larger-than-life size monarch butterfly sculptures (see photos below) mounted on metal pedestals for placement in each of two Schertz garden locations (Guadalupe County Community Gardens & Gutierrez Park butterfly habitat gardens) . The sculptures were donated to the Texas Native Plant Society (Guadalupe Co. Chapter) and to the Guadalupe County Master Gardener’s Association as a part of the Texas monarch butterfly preservation initiative. A dedication ceremony hosted jointly by the Committee and the Texas Native Plant Society was held for the placement of the Community Garden sculpture. On May 3, 2016, the Schertz City Mayor issued a proclamation announcing the month of May as Preservation Month in Schertz, Texas. On May 16, 2016, the Committee was honored by the Schertz, Cibolo, Universal City Independent School District (SCUCISD) with a “Commitment to Excellence Award” as the school district’s “Community Partner of the Year”. The focal event of the spring quarter was the Committee’s 2016 Schertz/Cibolo Valley History Symposium. The event featured several speakers on topics of local history and citizen presentations on the topic of residential preservation. It has been a wonderful preservation-filled spring and summer. 2 Several informative and well written magazine articles regarding historic preservation committee involvements were produced by our husband and wife committee member team, Jim and Dianna Webb. The articles appeared in the Schertz Magazine during the spring quarter along with our routine “Looking Back” feature. This quarter’s Committee Newsletter and Remembrances Special Edition Articles include: 2016-5 titled: Selma, Texas Preserves Historic Homestead – The Harrison House, 2016-6 titled: National Preservation Act Turns 50. Each of these articles are attached for your reading enjoyment. The Committee has received the Aviation Heights Heritage Neighborhood banners from the printer. The banners will be installed soon within the Heritage Neighborhood. The significance of the neighborhood as relates to the City’s early history is set forth in Remembrances Special Edition Article 2014-7. The Schertz photo history book remains on sale at the Schertz Visitors Center, the Schertz Public Library and at City Hall (Water Dept.). Books were donated to the libraries of 14 local SCUCISD schools. The book would make a great Christmas gift and a coffee table addition. On June 23, 2016, the Committee met in special session to consider an application for award of the first Main Street restoration matching grant to the owners of property at 807 Main Street. The committee unanimously voted to recommend approval of the grant application which was given final approval by the Schertz City Council. Besides having the distinction of hosting several headquarters United States Air Force primary mission functions, the Joint Base San Antonio – Randolph is unique in its architectural design features (early Spanish design). One of the landmark buildings is Building 100 (AKA: “The Taj” which will be the object of a historic preservation initiative to begin during October 2016.