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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC 03.08.2018 Packet Thursday March 8, 2018 5:30 p.m. Emma Harvat Hall City Hall     MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION EMMA J. HARVAT HALL FEBRUARY 8, 2018 MEMBERS PRESENT: Thomas Agran, Esther Baker, Kevin Boyd, Gosia Clore, Sharon DeGraw, G. T. Karr, Cecile Kuenzli, Pam Michaud, Ginalie Swaim, Frank Wagner MEMBERS ABSENT: Zach Builta STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow OTHERS PRESENT: Alicia Trimble RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action) CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Swaim called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: Bristow said that the bids for the revised Happy Hollow Park came in way too high. She said there will be a public meeting on Tuesday, February 13, from 5:30 to 6:15 at the Recreation Center to discuss which parts of the plan are important and to try to figure out a way to get something built. Swaim said that on January 18, she and Alicia Trimble held a public education session for the Newcomers Group of the University Women's Club. Swaim said there were 40 people in attendance, and she and Trimble did a two-part show. Swaim said she did a talk on Interesting Women and Well-Preserved Houses. She said she discussed Emma Harvat, Mildred Pelzer, and Elizabeth Catlett and the Federation Home. Swaim said that Trimble discussed how preservation began in Iowa City. She said that Trimble discussed the Old Brick story. Swaim added that there were a lot of good questions about preservation and sustainability. She said this could be added to the list of educational items for the year. REVIEW DRAFT CLG ANNUAL REPORT: Bristow said the term CLG stands for Certified Local Government. She asked anyone who wanted to add something that the Commission worked on to the report to please do so. Bristow said the Commission reviewed the National Register nomination for the Johnson County Savings Bank at 102 S. Clinton Street. She said that the annual report lists projects reviewed but only looks at the properties in historic districts, not those in conservation districts but National Register listed properties, and that resulted in the 28 listed properties that have had work done on them. Bristow said the list does not include certificates of no material effect. She said she also removed five garage projects, because that involves an outbuilding that may or may not have been contributing. Bristow said this is still the longest list that the Commission has had for several years. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 8, 2018 Page 2 of 8   Bristow stated that the Commission and staff actually processed 92 different applications during the past year. She said the Commission also put forth the local landmark of the Unitarian Universalist Church. Bristow said she has some corrections - some typos and general errors - in just going through the report. She said those will be fixed. Bristow said that now that the three new grants have been approved - the Civil Rights Grant, the National Trust Grant for downtown, and the HRDP Grant for the cabins - there is $58,552 worth of grant money to work with right now. Swaim congratulated Bristow for her work on the grants, although Bristow said that she did not do all the work. Bristow said she will compile the report with any additional items. She said she will then send it to the Mayor, who signs it, after which it is submitted to the State. DISCUSSION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN PRIORITIES AND ANNUAL WORK PROGRAM: Bristow suggested going through some of the things from last year's work plan that are still going on and looking at some new things. She said the Commission is in the middle of the local landmark process for several properties. Bristow said they have come before the Commission, the owner meeting has taken place, and the next step is consideration at the Planning and Zoning Commission's March 15 meeting. She said that from there, this will go on to the City Council. Bristow said that anyone who feels he/she can speak in support of this is encouraged to do so. Swaim said that those interested may also send letters of support. Regarding the Civil Rights Grant, Bristow said that Richard Carlson from the State Archaeologist's Office has been hired. Bristow said that Carlson has been working on National Register nomination forms for both the Tate Arms and the Iowa Federation Women's Home. She said that Carlson did extra research on the Iowa Federation Home, and she and Carlson have both photographed any interior, existing materials. Bristow said that the Iowa Federation Home actually has quite a lot of its original woodwork and other intact items. Bristow said that a committee was formed to help with the educational materials. She said there will be signage at each house to document the importance of the house. Bristow said that Carlson is also working on a list of other homes in the community that may have been used for African American students. Bristow referred to a brochure on the slide that is a handout produced by an intern. She said that Carlson will also be ushering these properties through the whole process to get the properties listed on the National Register. Regarding the HRDP Grant for the cabins, Bristow said that Heritage Woodworks in Clemons, Iowa is doing the rehab of the cabins. She said the cabins were both dismantled and moved there. Bristow said they are basically repairing and rehabbing all of the wood that is needed. She said she believes they will be constructed in the Heritage Woodworks warehouse with all of HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 8, 2018 Page 3 of 8   their parts and then dismantled and brought back and reconstructed. Bristow said that project is therefore moving forward and that the grant is only for the roof part. Regarding the historic preservation fund that was implemented last year, Bristow said there have been two applicants. She said that staff did not put out a press release about this, because they wanted to do a soft rollout. Bristow said that when there is an application that looks like it would be a good project for the fund, staff has told the owner specifically. She said staff has also told other people whose projects might fit. Swaim added that the fund was also mentioned at the Historic Preservation Awards. Bristow said that since there have only been two applicants, staff will likely be putting out a press release soon. She said there may be up to eight applicants and possibly more if the requested funding is less for each one. Regarding 816 College Street, Bristow said the base of the porch column was falling; the column base was sinking into the porch floor. She showed a portion that was tilting into the roof structure. Bristow said it was in bad shape. She said that when the owner reached out about getting the building repaired, Bristow mentioned the fund to her. Regarding 608 Rundell, Bristow said it is all hardboard or masonite siding, and it is all kind of rotten. She said the owner is going to match the shingle siding on the garage, which was probably the original pattern on the house as well. Regarding the CLG grants, Bristow said that staff will manage them and will hire a consultant for each one. She said that all of them could impact what the Commission does toward the end of the year, depending on the findings. Bristow stated, regarding the Downtown District, the consultant has completed all of the individual site inventory forms and is working on the text of the multi-property document that discusses the entire district. She said the consultant may have a draft by the end of March, the Commission will comment, and the final proposal should be back by June 1 per the contract. Bristow said that a public meeting will probably be held toward the end of May. She said all of the information will be put out and discussed, along with the next steps. Bristow said there was a National Trust Grant for part of that work. Regarding future plans, Bristow said staff's recommendation is to continue with the current work plan and not add a lot to it. She said there are already some walking tour brochures. Bristow said that updating them to be biking and walking tour brochures, especially for RAGBRAI, is something the Commission may want to consider. She said that perhaps it could be one volunteer and another person to comprise a committee to work on this. DeGraw volunteered. Bristow said that over the next two years, staff really wants to have the guidelines handbook updated. She said there are errors, as well as things that have been added, such as doors and roofs and items that could be clarified. Bristow stated that a lot of properties that were listed as non-historic are now known to be historic. She said that reviewing the status of each and every property could be done as part of this as well. Bristow said that a grant would be available for this type of thing, or the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 8, 2018 Page 4 of 8   Commission members and staff could do it. She suggested that some of the other grant work get done first and off the table, and then this could be worked on. Bristow said that counties are supposed to set up a property tax abatement, but Johnson County has not yet. She said that the County has to designate that a property is worth having a property tax abatement before it would happen. Bristow said it is a process that could be worked on with the County. Swaim stated that besides the seven properties going through the landmark process, there are another ten or twelve waiting in the wings. She said the Commission will want to keep moving those forward. Regarding the Preservation Summit, Bristow said she has spoken with the State about this. She said that because Newton is holding it next year, the State wanted the next host to be from the west side of the State, and it looks like there will be an applicant from Western Iowa. Bristow said that Iowa City would then be pushed back to holding a seminar in 2021, and the grant application for that is due in 2019. She said that Dubuque is also interested in holding the Preservation Summit in 2021, but Dubuque has held it before and Iowa City has not. Bristow said Iowa City would probably therefore take precedence but will have to put in a good proposal for what it can do. Swaim said that there will be new Commission members this year. She said that she, Baker, Michaud, and Wagner have terms that expire on July 1. Agran said that, in terms of the guidelines and handbook information, there is a letter that goes out to property owners in the spring. He said that seems like a really great opportunity to get information out. Agran asked if that is sent to all the property managers as well or just goes to the property addresses. Bristow responded that it is sent to the owners of the properties. Agran said there might be an opportunity there to work with a designer to do something more like a visual guide rather than just of list of requirements. He said perhaps something more interesting and engaging and ultimately clearer could be done in terms of how the information is communicated. Kuenzli said the letter goes out to the owners. She said that it would be great to send the brochure to the various realty companies. Kuenzli said that not all realtors are necessarily aware of where historic district properties are. Agran agreed that the brochure looks a little friendlier and less like a list of regulations. Bristow said staff receives a lot of questions from realtors. She said she believes that realtors are slowly being educated over time. Bristow said that might be an opportunity to hold another education session. Michaud said there is going to be a local news piece on KCRG about a local foursquare house and the UniverCity Project helping people live near downtown. Agran said he was interviewed for that piece and said he talked a lot about historic preservation. Regarding the work plan for the current year, Bristow said she will write a report again and send it to the City Manager so that he can share it with the City Council. Boyd said that it might be HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 8, 2018 Page 5 of 8   worth outlining the year's work plan and then items for upcoming years. He said then perhaps if one of the City Council members who is making policy for the whole City sees something to prioritize, he/she may suggest moving it up or not, especially since it has already been determined. Boyd said it would be a helpful tool to City-wide policymakers. Bristow said the last page of the work plan also discusses other upcoming issues. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR JANUARY 11, 2018: Baker stated that on page three, in the discussion on 516 Fairchild Street, in the first paragraph, the word University should be changed to UniverCity. Baker said that on page five, paragraph six, the last sentence should be amended to read, "...putting on asphalt shingles." MOTION: Boyd moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission's January 11, 2018 meeting, as amended. Agran seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 10-0 (Builta absent). COMMISSION INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION: Bristow said the Mayor signed the contracts earlier in the day for the three CLG grants. She said that the next step is to write a request for proposal for each one and get them out to those who may be able to work on them. CLG Grant for a Preservation Plan for the Summit Street Monument. Bristow showed a couple of images for this. She produced a map, showing the monument, which is on the southeast corner that was the original boundary of Iowa City. Bristow showed a 1900-era photograph. She said that in the 1930s, the Daughters of the American Revolution put the plaques on the monument. Bristow said that the monument has deteriorated, and the limestone is being eaten away by acid rain and other things. She said the grant is to have a person who is an expert in these kinds of stone monuments come in and evaluate this and make recommendations for what to do. Bristow said suggestions have included moving this to a museum and putting a replica here. She said if that is done, another question would be how to display it. Bristow said the grant would then pay for designing and building the display. Bristow said that another option is if there is some way to preserve the monument in place that the consultant thinks would be best. She said that either way that recommendation would be evaluated and then there would be a vote to move forward from there. She said that the grant would cover all of that type of evaluation. Bristow said staff spoke to someone at the Fort Dodge Preservation Summit who was a gravestone expert. She said he was the main person staff used for budget numbers for the grant. Bristow said that the expert has actually already visited the monument and done some evaluation. She said he would likely be a good candidate for the work, but it would be something for which multiple bids would be solicited. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 8, 2018 Page 6 of 8   CLG Grant for the National Register Nomination for the Clinton Street and Railroad Historic District. Bristow said this grant involves the National Register nomination for the Clinton Street and Railroad Historic District. She stated that when the Sabin School was going to come down to build a new Music School after a chain of events, the Southside District was surveyed by Richard Carlson. Bristow said that Carlson came up with a potential historic district that was later reduced because of integrity issues, etc. Bristow showed the new area being considered for the historic district. She said the grant is to rewrite and reduce Carlson's nomination forms to fit this district and then present the nomination to the State. Bristow said this is an area where the Commission had been looking at a local district as well. She said that the initial owner meeting was held, after which the Commission moved forward with the individual landmarks first. Bristow showed the buildings that are included in the district. She said the passenger station is already on the National Register and is a local landmark. Bristow said therefore it would not really be affected, but a district would give some context to the building, which would be really good. Bristow showed the Hotel O'Reilly, which would be included in the district. She showed the two houses mid-block one of which was designed by architect O. H. Carpenter. Bristow showed the two houses on the corner of Prentiss and Clinton Streets that would also be included in the district. CLG Grant for an Intensive Level Survey of 2040 Waterfront Drive, Cyrus Sanders House. Bristow said this grant is for an intensive-level survey of the property at 2040 Waterfront Drive. She commented that it was included in the list on the work plan of potential local landmarks to be researched. Bristow said some preliminary research led to the belief that this might be an important person's home. Bristow said the whole point of this is to find out if the preliminary research is going in the right direction and to look for relevant dates. She said there is no survey form for this home, so the process involves who the owner is and tracing back the property transfer records and looking at other information. Bristow said this property is a working farm and has been since the beginning and said the barn is also very old. Bristow said the outside has had an addition on the front, but she does not know what has been done on the inside. She said the owners are very enthusiastic about this. Bristow added that the potential for this property being a local landmark and possibly a National Register landmark is very high. She said it may not necessarily need to be associated with a person or not, just because of its age and architectural integrity. Bristow said some additions have been put on, but the main part of the original house is pretty much the way it was before. ADJOURNMENT: HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 8, 2018 Page 7 of 8   The meeting was adjourned at 6:04 p.m. Minutes submitted by Anne Schulte HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2017-2018 KEY: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a Member     NAME TERM EXP. 6/15 7/31 8/10 9/14 10/12 11/9 12/14 1/11 2/8 3/8 4/12 5/10 6/14 AGRAN, THOMAS 7/1/20 X X X X X X X X X BAKER, ESTHER 7/1/18 X X X X X X X X X BOYD, KEVIN 7/1/20 X O/E X O/E X X X X X BUILTA, ZACH 7/1/19 X O/E X X X X X X CLORE, GOSIA 7/1/20 X X O/E X X X O/E O/E X DEGRAW, SHARON 7/1/19 X X X X X X O/E X X KARR, G. T. 7/1/20 -- X X X X X X X X KUENZLI, CECILE 7/1/19 X O/E O/E X O/E X X X X MICHAUD, PAM 7/1/18 X X O/E X X X X X X SWAIM, GINALIE 7/1/18 X X X X X O/E X X X WAGNER, FRANK 7/1/18 O/E O/E X O/E X X O/E O/E X