Proposal for the renovation, maintenance and use of the Fishburn Cottage submitted on June 1,

2023

Freeda Cathcart and Veronica (Roni) Sutton propose to leverage a committed no-interest loan
in the amount of $100,000 combined with volunteer oversight and labor from the community to
renovate and maintain the Fishburn Cottage (aka Blackwell House) located in Fishburn Park.
We propose a partnership with the City of Roanoke wherein the City maintains ownership and
management of the building but the Friends of the Fishburn Cottage (a non-profit organization to
be created) will renovate and maintain the Cottage under the following directives:

1. A Memorandum of Understanding regarding this proposal will be drafted and approved with
either the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation or the Roanoke Parks Foundation until the
Friends of the Fishburn Cottage (FFC), a non-profit organization, can be created and finalized to
ensure that the building shall remain under the ownership of Roanoke City and shall be
managed by the Parks and Recreation Department with the allowance that the management
may be conveyed through a lease to established non-profit organizations. Nonprofits that serve
marginalized communities and/or support the environment shall be given priority for obtaining a
lease from the city for the Fishburn Cottage. Before a lease is conveyed for the house it shall
first be required to receive the recommendation and approval by the FFC and the Parks and
Recreation Advisory Board after they have considered the impact to the neighborhood within
two blocks of the house and the wildlife in the park. The monies obtained by the lease shall
cover the cost of utilities and the rest of the funds shall be deposited into the FFC maintenance
fund.

2. Freeda Cathcart will lead the fundraising efforts to renovate the Fishburn Cottage. The FFC
will have access to a no interest loan line of credit up to the amount of $100,000 in order to
support the immediate renovation of the house. Fundraising efforts will focus on funding to
successfully complete the renovation to bring the building up to code for occupancy. After the
renovation is completed then fundraising will focus on repayment of the loan. After the loan is
paid off, then fundraising will continue to create a maintenance and improvement fund for the
house. FFC fundraising efforts will include applying for grants, soliciting donations for its
restoration and working with the Roanoke Parks and Recreation Department to host fundraisers
in Fishburn Park that may include food trucks and music near the upper shelter (this location will
have less impact on the neighborhood).

3. As a Class A Virginia Contractor, Roni Sutton agrees to be the project manager and will hire
licensed and insured subcontractors, provide oversight for volunteers, apply for permits and be
available for required inspections. This will be on a voluntary basis as long as the FFC
continues to maintain the building. Liability insurance will be procured during the renovation.
Volunteers will be required to sign a waiver of liability that is approved by the city before being
allowed to assist in the renovation or maintenance.
4. The City of Roanoke shall apply for and receive a conservation easement for the lot of land
that the building is on that used to be called Weaver Park to protect it for future generations and
to fulfill Blair Fishburn’s vision for Fishburn Park.

5. The FFC will have twenty-four months from the date of the signed lease to complete the
renovation of the cabin.

6. The FFC shall have the right to have meetings at the house and to host fundraisers to
support the maintenance of the house.

7. If the FFC does not comply with these directives, the City will reserve the right to nullify this
contract.

8. If the contract with the FFC is nullified and then the City chooses to sell the house then it
shall be required to sell it at fair market value and the amount of the sale in excess of the
current $83,000 valuation shall be given to the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation. Should
the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation no longer exist then the funds shall be given to the
Historic Preservation Fund.

9. Should the city allow commercial vendors to lease space in the Roanoke City Park’s
buildings then a commercial vendor may be allowed to sublease part of the house from a
non-profit as long as at least 10% of the commercial vendor’s net-profit is paid to the FCC on
top of the lease amount. The sublease will also be subjected to the approval by the FFC and the
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board after they have considered the impact to the
neighborhood within two blocks of the house and the wildlife in the park.

Respectfully submitted,

Freeda Cathcart and Veronica Sutton

Bios for Freeda Cathcart & Veronica Sutton

Veronica Sutton has been the owner of Blue Brick Building and Renovations, Inc, a Class A
renovation contracting company, since 2006. She currently serves as the President for two
non-profit organizations whose focuses are on historic architecture, the Bedford Historical
Society and the Montvale School Preservation Foundation. Ms. Sutton's company has
renovated nearly 20 homes in and around the City of Roanoke, most dating pre-1920. She has
worked closely with the City Zoning and Permitting office as well as with the Architectural
Review Department. In addition to projects done in the Roanoke area, Ms. Sutton and her
husband own a pre-Civil War era farmhouse in Bedford County that they have lovingly
renovated over a period of nearly 32 years. Ms Sutton is also the Treasurer of the Floyd Friends
of Asylum Seekers and serves on the Board of the Roanoke Refugee Partnership, two
organizations which help asylum seekers and refugees with housing, employment, English
classes and navigation of the medical and public school systems. As a mother of three adult
children, she has spent a great portion of her life in service to her family and the communities
where she lives and works.

Freeda Cathcart, FLMI, has a background in insurance and financing. She has used her
expertise and skills to support community organizations. She was the president of the Roanoke
Coop in 1990 and led them from the brink of bankruptcy to a financially sound organization. In
1995, she was one of the founding members of the Left Bank Land Company and the Artesia
Land Trust that developed a farm in Floyd County into a micro-village while protecting the
watershed and forest from being developed. She designed the structure of the two corporations
and how the shares are attached to individual lots of land including the plan on how the money
is obtained to pay for the corporations insurance and tax annual fees. The intergenerational
micro-village has several successful cottage industries that blend in well with the residences.
Over the last five years, she has used corporate advocacy to steer corporations on a more
sustainable path resulting in successes with Berkshire Hathaway, Dominion Energy and
NextEra Energy. While serving as the vice-president of Unity of the Roanoke Valley, she was
the lead for the financing for their extensive building expansion. She is one of the founding
board members of Points of Diversity and currently serves on their board as well as several
other community boards. She grew up in the historic village of Tuxedo Park in the E.E. Chase
House that was built in 1888 that her family currently maintains. She is familiar with the time and
money commitment that historic houses require to be maintained. She has lived in the Grandin
Court neighborhood with her husband since 1987 and has served a total of twelve years as the
Grandin Court Neighborhood Association president and currently serves as their secretary. She
raised and homeschooled her four sons in the Grandin Court neighborhood where they regularly
enjoyed learning and playing in Fishburn Park. She’s grateful for the Roanoke Parks and
Recreation Department’s programs that helped provide healthy social and learning opportunities
for her children and community. She hopes that this gift of support will enhance and protect
Fishburn Park and the Fishburn Cottage for future generations.