FW: Umunhum Conservancy: Some good news ... but we need your help!

[http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert (Robert)]

 > From: "Umunhum Conservancy" <http://www.umunhumconservancy.org/~umunhum>
 > Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2016 22:23:29 +0000
 >
 >  box 53839
 >  where-I-live 95153 Web: www.umunhumconservancy.org
 >  Phone: (408) 827-5150
 >  Email: http://www.gmail.com/~Umunhum.conservancy 
 > 
 >  		Umunhum Conservancy, Inc.
 > 
 > PLEASE COME TELL THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY HISTORICAL HERITAGE COMMISSION THAT
 > THE TOWER IS HISTORIC AND SHOULD BE PRESERVED! Â Getting the Tower even
 > limited historic status would open the doors to new funding sources. It's
 > an important step. PLEASE COME TO THE MEETING AND HELP! 
 > -------------------------
 >  Date: Thursday, February 18, 2016 Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm Location: Board
 > of Supervisors Chambers County Government Center [1] First Floor 70 W.
 > Hedding Street where-I-live 95110 Details: here [2] 
 > -------------------------
 > 
 > BACKGROUND
 > 
 > As the last remaining structure from the former Almaden Air Force Station,
 > the Tower atop Mt. Umunhum is historically significant. However, it is not
 > currently listed as a historic building on any official list, and enjoys no
 > protection from demolition due to its historic value. 
 > 
 > In 2011 the Tower's owner, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District,
 > hired a consultant who wrote a report [3] which concluded that the Tower
 > was not eligible for historic recognition at the federal or state level.
 > Their argument was that the Tower lacked sufficient "historic integrity",
 > since the radar antenna had been removed from the roof. 
 > 
 > In 2014 the Umunhum Conservancy hired a local architectural historian to
 > perform another evaluation. That evaluation concluded [4] that the Tower
 > atop Mt. Umunhum is eligible for historic recognition by Santa Clara
 > County. We presented these findings to the County's Historical Heritage
 > Commission and to County planning staff. 
 > 
 > Given this disagreement between two qualified experts, Santa Clara County
 > independently hired a third qualified architectural historian to evaluate
 > the two earlier studies and reach their own conclusion to "break the tie".
 > Neither Midpen nor the Conservancy had any input on who was hired to do
 > this evaluation. 
 > 
 > The results of that study are back, and they're fantastic! The study
 > concludes [5]: 
 > _Mt. Umunhum Radar Tower is historically significant, retains historic
 > integrity to convey its significance, and is ELIGIBLE FOR LISTING IN THE
 > NRHP [NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES] AND CRHR [CA REGISTER
 > OF HISTORIC RESOURCES].  IT ALSO QUALIFIES AS A LANDMARK UNDER THE SANTA
 > CLARA COUNTY HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE AND IS RECOMMENDED TO BE
 > PLACED ON THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY HERITAGE RESOURCE INVENTORY._ 
 > 
 >  We couldn't have asked for a better statement from them! 
 > -------------------------
 > 
 > BUT ... WE&#39;RE NOT DONE!
 > 
 > To be listed on the County Heritage Resource Inventory requires two more
 > steps. 
 > 
 >  	* The County's Historical Heritage Commission has to recommend that the
 > Board of Supervisors list the Tower on the Inventory. They will vote on
 > that on February 18th. PLEASE COME AND TELL THEM TO VOTE "YES"!
 >  	* If the first vote passes, the full Board of Supervisors will need to
 > vote on the listing at a future meeting. We don't yet know when that
 > meeting would be, but we will need a big turnout at that meeting as well!
 > 
 > Getting the Tower listed on the Santa Clara County Heritage Resource
 > Inventory would be an important first step. It would not prevent the Tower
 > from being demolished, but would give it some limited protection. It would
 > also help with grant funding for preservation. To fully protect the Tower,
 > it would need to be designated as a Historic Landmark, which unfortunately
 > in Santa Clara County requires the agreement of the building owner...and
 > sadly we have no reason to believe that the MidPeninsula Regional Open
 > Space District would agree. 
 > 
 > Until now Midpen has continued to promote their idea of a "compromise", in
 > which they would remove the top four floors of the five story Tower,
 > leaving behind only a gazebo-like shade structure. We hope that this new
 > analysis will help Midpen understand the Tower's historic value and start
 > to support rather than impede the Conservancy's efforts to preserve the
 > _entire_ Tower, rather than continuing to spend tax dollars on consultants
 > and lawyers to justify its demolition. The Conservancy looks forward to
 > working with Midpen to secure landmark status for the Tower and to preserve
 > _all_ of it for future generations. 
 > 
 > The historic Tower reduced to a shade structure 
 > 
 > Ultimately the Tower still needs repairs and restoration. Even if it is
 > given historic protection, funds must still be found for that work. But
 > getting the Tower even limited historic status would open the doors to new
 > funding sources, and would hopefully eliminate Midpen's totally arbitrary
 > October 2017 fundraising deadline. It's an important step. PLEASE COME TO
 > THE MEETING AND HELP! 
 > 
 > The Tower today 
 > -------------------------
 >  Thank you for your ongoing support! ...Sam Drake / President and Founder /
 > Umunhum Conservancy ...email: http://www.gmail.com/~umunhum.conservancy ...Web:
 > www.umunhumconservancy.org ...Facebook: www.facebook.com/umunhum ...phone:
 > (408) 827-5150 
 > Unsubscribe [6] 
 >  Umunhum Conservancy
 > box 53859
 > where-I-live 95153
 > 
 > www.umunhumconservancy.org [7]
 > The Umunhum Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Donations
 > are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
 > 
 > Links:
 > ------
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