HOWELL — Too many historical structures in Howell are falling by the wayside, and resident Evelyn O’Donnell wants to do something about it.
O’Donnell, Casino Drive, has appeared at several Township Council meetings this year to ask the members of the governing body to consider appointing an ad hoc committee that would study the formation of a Howell historical commission.
“At some point and time in the future, if we do have the finances available, then we would be proactive and ready to make some decisions and possibly preserve some of our landmarks we have been unable to do before,” O’Donnell told the council at a recent meeting.
Mayor Robert F. Walsh and council members agreed to put the topic on the agenda for a meeting later this month.
“It’s certainly worthwhile in any community,” Councilwoman Susan Schroeder Clark said. “Historic preservation should be very important on our list of todo’s. I just want to thank you for your efforts.”
A historical commission can run the gamut from being an advisory body to the local government to being a municipal entity that has enforcement powers, O’Donnell explained.
“There is a lot of latitude,” she said. “We don’t have to go into this with such strict guidelines. If nothing else, we can help the Howell Historical Society become stronger and able to do more things. I don’t see any downside to this. Certainly we can support each other. They certainly have the same goals. I’m sure there are a lot of people we should be able to draw from.”
The Howell Historical Society, founded in 1971, focuses on preserving the history and culture of the township, along with discovering and collecting materials that establish or illustrate the history of the area, according to the society’s Internet website.
Resident Barbara Dixel said during the public portion of the meeting that she had given a packet containing information and applications about forming historical commissions to a previous mayor.
“These papers disappeared,” she said. “Is it possible that someone can go rummaging through some of the drawers in the mayor’s and council’s offices? Maybe they are there.”
“There’s nothing in there,” Walsh joked. “I’ve been in there. That thing is clean, believe me.”
Dixel said some owners have already made renovations to several historic buildings in town. Those renovations have compromised the buildings’ historic value, she said.
Dixel said some people in town previously suggested that the Adelphia section of Howell be declared a historical section.
“There are a lot of very old houses,” she said. Township Manager Helen Schlegel agreed to provide the council with information that explains the differences between an ad hoc committee, a historical commission and an advisory board.
Contact Patricia A. Miller