 Good afternoon everyone. Thank you so much for coming out today. I'm Jane Betzel. I'm the current President of the Board of the Greater Portland Landmarks. We are here to celebrate our 50-second annual meeting and to have the 2016 Preservation Awards and Ceremony and Reception followed. We're having the meeting today in this beautiful old church. What has happened to this church represents much of what the mission of Greater Portland Landmarks is. As the times change, historic buildings can stay, but their mission and what they do for community will change. So we're happy to be here. They're working on their mission, they've built something new, and even just last week they opened the Brennan Archives. We're very pleased to be here. Landmarks has had a pretty exciting year this year. We've had record attendance at the Portland Observatory. School children, tourists, locals have discovered one of Portland's greatest landmarks for the first time this summer. Thank you. We also had a record-breaking fundraising gala this spring which helps fund our education programs. In addition, on October 1st, we will celebrate the anniversary of our first full year of the Director of Advocacy. This full-time position has allowed us to undergo so much more of what we want to do, and it certainly has allowed us to reach outside of the city limits in sending our word and message out to the community. There's so much more to what we do, and we hope that all of you will take a look at our hot off-the-press Greater Portland Landmarks Annual Report. It has photos, it sends a thank you to all of our members, so please take one with you. I want to take a moment to thank a very special person tonight, and that is Ed Gardner, our first Vice President for his sponsorship of the awards program and ceremony. Thank you, Ed. The list of thank yous is far too long to utter here, but there is someone who deserves a very special thank you. I want to thank Tom Elliman, who has served as the President of Greater Portland Landmarks Board of Trustees for the last two years. I have special affection for Tom. He was President when I first came on the board. He welcomed me and helped me understand the joy, complexity, and yes indeed challenge of serving on the Board of Trustees of Greater Portland Landmarks. This last year he did Yeoman's work, ushering us through one of the most controversial advocacy positions that landmarks has had to face in several years. But this has been nature of an advocacy organization and we are proud to take on that challenge. With Tom's leadership, we came through and we are in the strongest position in our 50-year history. It is with heartfelt thanks, I present to you a gift that represents a small token of our thanks and appreciation. Thank you, Tom. Come on up. We get to the more official things, so we have three quick business items before commencing the awards presentation. So at this very moment I am calling the 2016 annual meeting to order. The first thing we need to do is approve the minutes from last year's annual meeting. They can be found in your program. Do I have a motion to approve the minutes? Thank you. And a second? Thank you. All in favor? All members invited to vote. Any opposed? Any abstentions? Thank you. We'll pass unanimously. Next, I'm going to turn it over to Bruce Moyer, our treasurer for a brief financial report. Good evening. This is always a high point in the program. People want to know about the numbers. Anyway, I'm Bruce Moyer. I'm the new treasurer of the organization. I want to give you some highlights in terms of the year that ended last year. The plan marks is on a fiscal year that begins on July 1 and then ends on July 30. Basically our revenue is divided into two large areas. One source is our earned income and that would be primarily programs, but then the revenue... Oh, pardon me. How's that? I hate these things. Is that better? Thank you. Thank you. Better? Worse? Okay. Our revenue is from two sources, primarily one's earned, one unearned. The unearned is donation income. Donations for this past year were under the amount from the year before, but keep in mind the year before coincided with the big gala of the 50th anniversary of the organization and it's not unusual to have a survey. I'll take your breath here after that, but we have a new... The gala was very successful last June. We have a very strong development, and so I think lots of nice things are happening in that area. And also though on the operating side, it was really a rather excellent year. Overall revenues were ahead by about 15%, but also... Anyway, the operation of the observatory, as Portland has become more and more of a visitor's destination point, the observatory has been a prime beneficiary of that, and our revenue last year has had about 30%. So that has just been a wonderful success, and it has been a success for the organization. And so we finished the year. The auditors finished their audit, and the finance committee met with them this past few days ago, actually on Monday, and we have a very, what I call, readers' digest encapsulated version of the draft report with your materials tonight. If you have any questions, please let me know. And I do want to take one opportunity, though, to thank someone else, since I'm the new kid on the block. And I want to thank Tom Doud for all he has done. Tom has been a treasurer for six years, seven years, a long, long time. And I have to tell you, Tom was involved in this role with a lot of evolution into procedures of the institution, and Tom were very, very there, more than his fair share to make things happen. And so, Tom, do you mind standing up, please? Anyway, thank you. So at this time, I would like to open the meeting for any new business and any discussion. So now, the new portion of the meeting is closed. Next, I would like to invite Carol DeTine up to discuss some governance issues. Thank you, Carol. This year, the trustees are suggesting changes in four areas of landmark spelling laws. These changes have to do with membership, standards of conduct of board members, officers, and a conflict of interest policy. You were handed on the back of the minute details about the changes to our bylaws. Is there a motion to accept these changes in the bylaws? Second, all in favor? Any opposed? Any abstentions? It has passed, thank you. And now I'll present the slate of officers for the Board of Trustees. Trustee nominees to the Board for a three-year term include Elaine Clark, Lynn Hallett, Don Head, and Jack Rieland. Trustee nominees returning to the Board for a second three-year term include Francesca Galutio-Steel, Ed Gardner, and Kate Griffith. Trustee nominees returning to the Board for a third three-year term include Thomas Elliman and Richard Gilbane. Is there a motion to approve the slate? Second, all in favor? Any opposed? Abstentions? Thank you. Congratulations, new and returning trustees. I want to recognize and thank two trustees who are retiring from the Board this year. Jim Cran has worked for us for six years, and Nancy Ladd served out three full terms serving nine years. Thank you very much for your service, both of you. At this time, more fun begins. I would like to invite Ed Gardner, Vice President of Landmarks Trustee, and Hillary up to the podium to start a preservation award ceremony. Thank you. I'm going to use this handheld mic here. I'll turn this one off then. Thank you all for coming tonight and supporting Greater Portland Landmarks. I had the, as some of you may know, I'm a realtor in Greater Portland. And this year, the Maine Association of Realtors sent me on a conference down to Newport, Rhode Island, and I just got back an hour ago. And I had the benefit of after the late night meetings of walking around the town and experiencing the sailing capital of the world. And if you've been to Newport, you get this feel that just exuberates out of these beautiful buildings down here. And all of a sudden, I felt like I was back in Portland, not in the 70s, not in the 80s. But today, when you're down in the old port or in the West End or any historic district in Portland, you get this sensational feel of what it was like in yesteryear. And I'm proud to say I'm a Portland resident. And I'm really happy to know that you, with all your hard work, your developers, the people that promote historic preservation and really love this city, have stepped up and made it a beautiful place for me to live and now for you. I also want to thank you for your support for Greater Portland Landmarks. Without your membership, without your donation and your investments and the John Kelvin Stevens Society level, we couldn't do what we do. We're out there advocating because we want the people, not today, but in 50 years and 100 years, our grandchildren and children and great-grandchildren, to understand what the city is all about, what it means to be in Greater Portland, and then to pass the baton on to new architecture as it unfolds in our lives. So thank you all. So what we want to do tonight is recognize lots and lots of you that have stepped up to the plate and did that good deed to make this a fabulous city. And we're happy to have you here. It feels like a Portland community party tonight, seeing all of you. And without you, Portland wouldn't be what it is today. So thank you for that. Hillary and I have 12 awards that we're going to give out and we'll alternate back and forth here. And I think I'm up first, but you might have something to say before me. So we've made a script this year to so we can be right on time, so we can have some good socializing time after the presentations. And I just want to say that this group of awardees really is an outstanding range of programs and people who make preservation happen. These are projects that really communicate the importance of preservation and historic architecture and also show the energy and passion and commitment of the people who view them. So I would like for now for Ed to present the first award. All right. He's telling me it works now and I think it works. This first one is very special to me. Our first preservation award is to recognize an instrumental in the revitalization of miniature public green spaces. I'm going to stick with this one. Diane Davison, can you please stand up? Diane Davison as past president. This is one fabulous Portland woman. She was past president of Friends of Eastern Prom. She's now executive director and co-founder of the Friends of Eastern Promenade. Has worked more than a decade to protect, revitalize and enhance the eastern promenade. You can come over to the western promenade sometime. Because of her advocacy for eastern promenade and as a chair of the Portland Parks Commission for all of Portland's public green spaces, we recognize Diane Davison for exceptional work and the legacy that she lives leaves to the city of Portland. Diane, thank you. So our next award is for two people who have led efforts to revive one of the most historic parks in the city. Frank and Sharon Riley have provided a driving force behind advocacy to revive interest in Lincoln Park and to secure resources to rehabilitate and reinvigorate the use of the park. Their first priority has been to love Lincoln Park and that's the logo on their website. And they found a grant to develop a master plan for the park. The first priority has been to increase awareness of the park and restore the fountain and pathways. We can see the results of the campaign and the everyday usage of the park and its gradual revival as one of the great outdoor spaces in Portland. And I invite Frank and Sharon Riley to come to the podium to receive their award. I love you guys. Visit their park too. It's a lovely in-town park and you guys are bringing it back to life again. Our third award is for someone who has left an indelible mark on the preservation movement in Greater Portland. John Turk, can you stand up? Has been practicing architecture in Portland for over 25 years. He has worked on a variety of preservation projects for well-known landmarks including the Portland Observatory, Deering Oaks Castle in the Park, Portland City Hall, Mechanics Hall, and the main Irish Heritage Center in which we sit here today. John is a founding member of the Portland Society of Architecture and has served on Portland's Historic Preservation Board for 15 years. He recently participated in the designation of three local new historic districts. Thank you John. Our next award recognizes the restoration of historic landscape in Portland. In 1905, a formal plan for Fort Allen Park on the Eastern Promenade was prepared by the Olmstead Brothers Firm with features that include tree-lined paths, a carriage drive, and earthen berm from Fort Allen. Modern decades have brought modifications for that conflict with the original plan. Friends of the Eastern Promenade was founded in 2006 to advocate for the park and decided to focus energy on creating and implementing a master plan to restore Fort Allen. The Friends accomplished this massive $1.4 million undertaking in 2014, restoring the park's history while adding features like bike racks, interpretive signs, and universal access for modern-day needs. Would all of the members of Friends of Eastern Promenade please stand? I know a bunch of you all are here. Great. And I'd like to invite Matthew Kennedy forward to accept the award on behalf of the Friends. Our next award recognizes a critical piece of history in a town just south of us. Scarborough, Maine was home to the Danish village, a popular roadside accommodation and attraction on Route 1. Built in 1929 by hotelier Henry P. Rhines, it was one of the most earliest motels. It was popular through World War II and then was used for housing and other uses. It was finally demolished in 1976. The only remaining structure was a brick arch at its entrance. When the parcel was up for redevelopment, the town council decided to relocate and restore the arch to a memorial park. For this demonstration of its commitment to preserving history, we recognize the town of Scarborough for its preservation and relocation of the Danish arch. Accepting the award will be Craig Friedrich and Jessica Holbrook of the Scarborough Historic Preservation Implementation Committee and Thomas Hall Scarborough Town Manager. Will you please come up and thank you. It is often the details of historic architecture that lends so much to the character of a building or a neighborhood. The Congress Street Historic District is the main pedestrian and vehicular artery in downtown Portland. Many of the buildings in the commercial center of the district have been altered over time. Standfast Works Forge has successfully preserved and restored the historic wrought iron details of the WT grant block at 510 Congress Street and also the cast iron details on the charitable mechanics hall across the street. These details on these buildings give them their authentic character. For the restoration of the iron details at 510 and 519 Congress Street, we recognize Tim Green of Standfast Works Forge. Designed by Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow of Boston, Yarmus Merrill Memorial Library is prominent in the center of town. The 112-year-old building was modified by an addition in the 1980s which was altered the circulation patterns, library trustees and the town developed a revitalization effort for the entire building using public and private funds, library staff and architects' work to rehabilitate the structure using environmentally friendly strategies and restoring the beautiful history of the original library. Accepting this award is my friend Nancy Barbe of Barbe Wheelock Architects and Heidi Grimm, Executive Director of the Merrill Memorial Library. Would you please come up? Now back to Portland we go, a few blocks up from one of our past award winners. The George S. Hunt block on Congress Street was designed by noted Portland architect Francis Bassett and is associate Frederick Thompson in 1886. Store fronts were added in 1912 and 1950. It was left vacant after a destructive fire in 2010 and suffered from extensive deferred maintenance. The building has been extensively repaired, cleaned, restored and rehabilitated. Its historic features were saved and revived and an elegant and contemporary interior inserted to meet modern lifestyles and building codes. This restoration respects the building's surviving historic features, adds new interiors and contributes to the revitalization of Longfellow Square area. We recognize the Guiman Group and Andre Guimonde of present architecture for the rehabilitation of the George S. Hunt block at 660 Congress Street. Accepting this award is Andre Guimonde. We have two certificates. Seems like it's old Friends Week for me. This is a really cool one. John Calvin Stevens designed the Roosevelt School in 1927 to 1928 as an elementary school for the Meeting House Hill neighborhood in South Portland. The school was closed to the public use in 1983 and used privately by the spur-wink services through 2012. It was sold in 2014 after a competitive bid process. The development team used original drawings and the national preservation standards to guide the refurbishment of the original historic elements of the structure. The historic building was transformed into ten condominium units and new construction was cited and constructed to house an additional nine units with materials that show a clear visual difference from the historical building. The development team embraced high preservation standards for the redevelopment of the former school in a community that does not have the preservation ordinance or require formal design review. It's hero to me. For their work to rehabilitate the Roosevelt School into Meeting House Hill lofts, we recognize PDD architects and Ethan Boxer Maycomber of a new development. Accepting this award for the project is Ethan Boxer Maycomber. The next award is at the moment very close to all of us. St. Dominic's Church was completed in 1893. For more than 100 years, it was a very important fixture in Portland's Irish community with over 4,000 members at the end of World War II. The church closed in 1998 and the main Irish Heritage Center purchased and began operations in the building in 2003. And this is a true labor of love, as I'm sure you can tell from all the features in the building. Since taking over this large building, the organization has faced numerous challenges, including a failed beam that caused the four-ton bell to fall two stories and damage the tower and a storm that flooded the basement. With substantial volunteer and financial investment, the center has repaired the tower's integrity, the building accessible, and welcomed thousands of people annually to use its facility. Would all of those who are involved in the Irish Heritage Center please stand? We've asked Bob Kearney of the Building and Facilities Committee to accept the preservation award for this magnificent building and exemplary community project. Nathan Clifford Elementary School is a three-story building in the Oakdale neighborhood of Portland. Designed by John Calvin Stevens, the 1907 school is significant for its classical revival architecture that embraced the latest ideas for school architecture at the time. The school closed in 2011 and was sold to developers collaborative to be converted into market-rate residential units with a public park and playground. The result is an excellent example of local government working with the neighborhood developer to keep a beloved building connected to the community through a new use. Its historic interior features, including blackboards that remain in each apartment, have been retained as the building has been modernized for its new use. We invite Kevin Bunker of Developers Collaborative to accept the award for outstanding adaptive reuse of the Nathan Clifford School. I tell you, I don't know where Portland would be if we didn't have these very committed developers shaping and redesigning and keeping Portland together. And I get to talk about the last one here, which is a favorite of mine. Finally, we want to recognize an adaptive reuse project that celebrates the Bo Arts building in the heart of Portland. The original Portland Press Herald building was constructed in 1924, the most modern newspaper plant in New England at its time. When the paper relocated in 2010, the building sat vacant for two years before its adaption into a hotel. The hotel incorporates creative features that convey its history, including real-press Herald headlines that wallpaper the hallways, objects like steel rollers and scales, and an installation of typewriters scattered across the lobby wall. Very cool. The combination of rehabilitation of a historic building and creative branding around its history sets the project apart from others. We recognize the entire team who enacted a clear vision, the ambitious project that honors this building's important role in Portland's history. I invite developer Jim Brady, John Ryan of Right Ryan Construction, Kevin Gough of Archetype Architects to accept this award for the Press Hotel. Thank you. So thank you so much to all of the award winners tonight for believing in the importance of preservation and for doing the hard work to make it happen. These projects require a tremendous energy, persistence, creativity, and I think faith, as we can see in this building, to make them happen. And we'd like to commend everyone and everyone in the design and construction teams who made these projects happen. So let's give them another round of applause.