2007-8 Action Plan for
Griffith Woods Tavern and Cultural Area
Friends of Griffith Woods
July 2007
INTRODUCTION
The Friends of Griffith Woods have developed the following action plan to guide them over the next several months and years. It builds on the work and decisions of the Kentucky Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, the University of Kentucky, the State Nature Preserves Commission, and the Friends. It is intended to focus the efforts of the Friends on the most critical issues and also help communicate to others the direction the Friends are taking in order to build consensus and generate support. While the Plan has been developed with significant thought and consideration, it is best viewed as a “work in progress.” If others have suggestions that would improve the chances of success of the project and the Friends, we stand ready to modify and adjust as we move forward.
PRIMARY GOALS
The Friends have four primary and immediate goals that drive this action plan. There are many other wonderful outcomes that the Friends could and may achieve in the decades ahead. To get to those other ends, the Friends must be successful in meeting these four goals. It is critical to remain focused. Achieving the goals will be very difficult; achieving them without focus will be impossible.
Goal 1 – Preserve the Griffith Tavern buildings and grounds
Some steps have already been taken to achieve this. Much more needs to be done. Without successfully achieving preservation of the buildings and the grounds, all other goals and activities must be adjusted, redirected, or abandoned. This is essentially the touchstone goal that drives all other considerations.
Goal 2 – Have the buildings and site serve a useful purpose
The Friends are entirely open as to what this purpose or these purposes might be. Among the purposes, the Friends very much want and hope to serve local educational and cultural ends.
Goal 3 – Achieve self sufficiency
It is not enough to “save” the Tavern and begin housing entities and activities. These must be done in a way so that the facility and site are self-sustaining.
Goal 4 – Create and maintain plant nursery and demonstration/plant nursery operations related to native and historic plants
The site and house offer an opportunity to illustrate and sell plants native to this area of Kentucky as well as typical of the period of the historic Tavern.
These goals must be viewed as interactive and achieved in an integrated manner. To be successful, all four must occur. The Friends intend to pursue all four simultaneously.
BASIC APPROACH
The basic approach that the Friends intend to pursue is essentially a private development model. The Friends will consider the facility much like a “spec” (speculative) building and site. The basic facility would be stabilized and upgraded ready for a partner to then “fit-up” (interior finishes, site modifications required for the intended use, and the like) the property.
Sharing the site with the house is already and will continue to be a native and historic plant initiative. Native and historic plants will be illustrated in plantings as well as offered for sale. It is intended that the historic site and the plant initiative will be mutually supportive.
FOUR IMMEDIATE STRATEGIES
To achieve this basic approach, the Friends would pursue four immediate strategies. They will move ahead on each simultaneously. An individual strategy may not be able to be finalized until other strategies have moved forward. They represent truly a “chicken and egg” circumstance. The tasks do not lend themselves to a linear approach. An interactive, comprehensive approach seems essential. The current situation is sufficiently critical that the Friends have concluded they do not have time to move in a linear way, even if it were practical.
Strategy 1 – Undertake a series of activities to generate awareness, interest, and involvement with the site
To be successful, Griffith Tavern and the immediate site must be supported by individuals and groups. This includes obvious and critical entities such as elected officials, local, regional, and state agencies, and local organizations. While pushing ahead with other initiatives, the Friends intend to begin a series of activities to achieve this strategy.
Strategy 2 – Rehabilitate the basic elements of the facilities
It seems unlikely that a potential future user or users of the facilities could formulate a financially sound business plan that includes rehabilitating the facilities as well as upgrading them to serve their particular interests and needs. The estimated costs of getting the facilities and immediate surroundings in useable and sustainable condition have been as high as $2,000,000. To make use of the facilities financially viable, the Friends likely need to rehabilitate basic elements of the facilities and expect users to then make additional improvements and adjustments to fit their needs.
Strategy 3 – Secure a partner or partners to utilize the facilities
The Friends place no limits on consideration of possible partners -- public or private, local or not, individual or corporate. Any user will be required to operate within some parameters intended to preserve the historical integrity of the facilities and site and to benefit the local community. The Friends will be diligent in minimizing parameters so as to increase chances of identifying users and enhance the probability that a partner can be a successful and long term occupant of the facilities.
Strategy 4 – Maintain critical relationships and resolve legal issues
Legal issues remain to be resolved concerning the ownership and formal responsibility for the facilities and grounds. As important, the Friends recognize that maintaining productive and meaningful relationships with the Kentucky Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, the University of Kentucky, and the State Nature Preserves Commission is critical. The Friends understand and appreciate that all of the efforts intended for Griffith Tavern are only possible as a result of the work of these three entities. Further, the Tavern project will be best served by continuing to have a positive and productive working relationship with all three.
No strategy is noted related to the historic and native plant initiative. This effort is already operational and is therefore not the focus of this action plan. This should not be taken as implying that the plant initiative is inconsequential or unimportant. It is very beneficial and meaningful. It is however in place and operating and this action plan focuses on additional efforts that are needed.
Following are more detailed commentary about each of the four strategies noted above.
There are four primary ways the Friends intend to pursue seeking the financial support needed to rehabilitate the facility. These are grants, private donations, corporate partners, and governmental allocations. The Friends will pursue each. The Friends understand that the competition for these dollars is significant. The Friends think the case is compelling. They need to begin presenting it effectively and often.
The Friends are moving ahead to have the facility added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Friends will immediately prepare a prospectus to be used in soliciting interest in the property. The prospectus will tout the many benefits and strengths of Griffith Tavern.
It must also set out clearly the parameters within which partners must operate. The Friends appreciate that they must balance two somewhat competing interests. On one hand, they must establish parameters to protect the historical integrity of the facilities and maximize the benefit to the community. At the same time, they must retain absolutely as much flexibility as possible. Finding potential partners will be difficult. Finding partners if the parameters are excessive or cumbersome will be impossible.
Further, parameters should be developed by specifying the desired end result while leaving the partner the task of determining how that result is best achieved.
This strategy will involve as many specific activities as possible and they can be grouped into four general categories.
The other three entities involved in the larger Griffith Woods site have their own agendas and interests. The Friends intend to be supportive, cooperative, and understanding and see them as beneficial partners rather than competing. The Friends must maintain formal and informal contact, dialogue, and working relationships with the University of Kentucky, the Kentucky Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and the State Nature Preserves Commission.
As the Friends move ahead with other action items, it will become necessary to resolve ownership and formal responsibility for the site. It is not practical to know at this point, where in the litany of activities, this will be come appropriate or necessary, but it is inevitable. The Friends will be taking steps to prepare for resolution of these legal issues.
The Friends understand that they are embarking on the difficult and challenging effort. They intend to be successful. At the same time, it is only prudent and realistic when starting such an enterprise to consider what would be best if the approach outlined and the strategies enumerated can not for whatever reasons be achieved. Griffith Tavern has had some recent minimal stabilization. It remains very vulnerable. Demolition by benign neglect is a very real possibility, if not a likelihood, without action and simply the passage of time. If the Friends are not successful in the immediate future (months or a very few years), the best strategy might be for The Nature Conservancy to make the facility available to the highest bidder with some minimal requirement of preservation of the most critical historic elements. While very undesirable, saving the historic elements in any way is preferable to simply having it salvaged or even destroyed.
To provide meaning to this position, the Friends have established benchmarks for the immediate future so as to systematically and regularly gage progress. If benchmarks are not met, it will signal the need to seriously reconsider this effort and contemplate other options for the Tavern.