El Cerrito Historical Society Meeting Summary
Sunday, January 24, 2010

The President reported on the unexpected death of the Society's Treasurer, Ruth Kibby, on January 10 th . He noted that Ruth had served ably as Treasurer and had been on the Board of the Society for several years. The President also commended the long service of Lucille Irish. Lucille was a founding member of the Society and was on the Board continuously for 36 years. She has decided to not run for reelection.

Director and Program Chairman David Weinstein reported on events planned for this year, including a paths walk in March and meetings at Camp Herms , Sunset View Cemetery , and the former Chung Mei Home . Given the 70+ people in attendance to hear the day's program, the President decided to defer the business meeting until after the program was complete. David then began a program on modern architecture in El Cerrito and highlighted many of the noteworthy architects whose work can be found in El Cerrito . At the completion of his one-hour talk he answered numerous questions from the audience.

The President reported on the status of a number of Society efforts. Regarding the Rodini parcel and the creek that flows through it, the City has yet to acknowledge that this is a creek and not just a drainage ditch. The development proposal for the property has been withdrawn for now. Regarding the Tradeway and Contra Costa Florist buildings, the President noted that both are now owned by the City's Redevelopment Agency. An RFP has been released that asks interesting parties to submit proposals to develop the property. The City has not shown any interest in preserving either building, nor in letting the Society create a museum in the Contra Costa Florist building.

The President noted that there has been no progress on a survey of the City's Historic Resources. Some of the delay is due to the absences of the staff member in charge of this project. Regarding the Dorothy and Sundar Shadi room, the Society and the City discussed the proposed Agreement in detail at a meeting in November and agreed on a number of revisions. However, the agreement is still waiting for action by the City Attorney.

The President noted that the Creeks Committee has met a few times and has had one creek walk but that it still has no chairman. In other business it was noted that the President hopes to bring a revised version of the Bylaws to the membership for approval in the next several months. The current version of the bylaws is more than thirty years old and is somewhat outdated. The subject of the time, place, and frequency of meetings came up. It was suggested that the Society alternate between Sunday afternoons and weekday evenings. It also seemed to be a consensus that the Society meet six times a year.