Wow! I am impressed by the number of subscriptions we now have! Thank you all for your interest and support.
It has been a while since I have posted a blog here, as we had a bit of time of it getting our ducks in a row – hence, the name of this entry.
As you know, we lost Michael O’Dell earlier this year. Michael was serving as our Statutory Agent ands was one of Holbrook’s best promoters. He truly loved the town, and the people. He is still sorely missed.
Kristin Crowley of Payson has stepped up and volunteered to fill the position of Statutory Agent for our foundation. Kristin and her family are old-school Arizonians and have a long history of involvement in philanthropic works. We are still waiting for the Arizona Corporation Commission to recognize her as our agent. This is the bureaucracy I referred to.
The foundation also lost its treasurer, Jessie Ownbey. She is being replaced by Madeleine Miciotto. Madeleine is a former Texan, but we won’t hold that against her. Again, we are waiting on the Arizona Corporation Commission to make her official. More bureaucracy.
In other news, the back wall of Wattron’s Drug Store finally collapsed (see photo). Decades of rainwater seeping down inside the walls melted the adobe, and, without support, the rock facing simply crumbled. The Town of Holbrook was Johnny-on-the spot in this instance, and put up a brace to keep the roof from falling in as well. The Bucket of Blood Saloon shares an interior wall with Wattron’s and, had the roof come down, it would very likely have destroyed the Bucket of Blood as well. Unfortunately, there is now a huge hole in the back, and the pigeons are roosting within.
Obviously, time is of the essence. As Michael observed, this is likely the last chance we are going to have to save these structures.
While on the subject, Ted Soltis, Holbrook’s Town Manager, who is working closely with us, had authorized Preserve Arizona to contact an architect with knowledge of historical preservation to go to Holbrook and inspect the buildings, and tell us whether they can be saved or not, and give an estimate of what the cost might be. We have contacted two architects thus far. The first was something of a flake. The second stated he was too busy at the moment. So, the quest continues.
What else? Oh yes, the technology. We had the worst time trying to get this website set up so we could take donations herein. I am not going to speak badly of our webpage hosts, but the interface was not exactly seamless. Still, we persevered, and with the help of the tech at my work, we were able to get it up and running. We can now take donations on this site through Paypal. Just click the “Donate” button on the first page and it will take you directly there!
Further, we are waiting for Facebook to approve us to take donations through our page on that social media site. We will also be adding some crowd-funding sites in the near future, or for those who don’t like putting financial information on the inter-webs, you can always drop off a check at the Navajo County Historical Society. Just make it out to Preserve Arizona.
I should note here that, if for some reason the buildings which comprise the Henning Block in Holbrook cannot be saved, after the expenses are paid for Preserve Arizona, the monies which were raised will be donated to the Navajo County Historical Society there in Holbrook. So, no matter what happens, you can rest assured your donation will go to help to save our history.
That is all I have this time. I will make a more concerted effort to keep you up to date on this project.
Thank you all.
