From:ChapmanEstate Foundation
To:City Council
Subject:Agenda item 12E
Date:Sunday, August 4, 2024 2:33:39 PM
External Email
Honorable Council members and Mayor,
I would like to tell you how much I appreciate the time and effort it has taken to complete this assessment of the Chapman Estate.
I'm sure that Clifford Chapman never anticipated that his gift would become such a financial burden to the city. As you are aware, his dream was to make this estate and gardens available to all as a cultural center focusing on such things as the arts and education. Throughout the years the Chapman Estate Foundation has done its best to honor this dream by leading docent tours, curating and cataloguing all of the art and antiques inside the house as well as creating a living history of the Rogers family, Clifford and Don. With the help of volunteers we have spent hours maintaining the gardens and bringing back the rare tuberous begonias.Raising funds to repair the foundation of the iconic windmill was one of our biggest and proudest accomplishments. We still have enough in our budget to finish the outside whenever that is possible. Our focus has always been to honor Clifford Chapman's legacy. We are happy to continue contributing in whatever capacity we can.
I look forward to listening to the discussion concerning the options presented in this report and know that you will have the best interests of the community in mind when you arrive at a decision.
Best regards,
Kathy Teufel
President of the Chapman Estate Foundation