Book 1 contains meeting minutes and city ordinances from 1916-1923, and book 2 contains minutes and ordinances from 1937-1948.
These significant records, which suffered water and fire damage over the years, particularly after the fire that destroyed the old City Hall, have been restored.
“Recognizing the importance of preserving our city’s history, Girard sought guidance from Matt Lutz, the city of Tallahassee’s director of records management,” Crestview officials said in a news release. “Lutz had mentioned to Girard during the Florida Association of City Clerks annual conference that they had successfully restored old record books and recommended a hand-bookbinder conservator, Paul Sawyer, located in Daytona Beach.
“Sawyer conducted a thorough restoration process on Crestview’s historical books, which involved cleaning, de-acidifying, and hand-sewing the books. As a result of his efforts, books 1 and 2 are now in significantly improved condition and are once again legible.”
“As part of future records management initiatives, our restored historical books will be digitized and made accessible to the public via the city’s website, cityofcrestview.org, ensuring the preservation of our city’s historical records for future generations.” Girard said.