HomeMy WebLinkAboutBHPCMinutes_2011_12_08Brookings Historic Preservation Commission
December 8, 2011
A meeting of the Brookings Historic Preservation Commission was held on Thursday, December
8, 2011 at 5:15 p.m. in City Hall. Members present: Dennis Willert, Les Rowland, Mary Bibby,
Pam Merchant, Tom Agostini and Janet Gritzner. Father Ryan Hall was absent. Shari Thornes,
City Clerk, was also present.
Chairperson Willert called the meeting to order at 5:22 p.m. Agenda: (Bibby/Merchant)
Motion to approve the agenda. All present voted yes, motion carried. Minutes: Bibby
requested Jay Vogt’s comments at the Mayor’s Awards be added the minutes.
(Merchant/Bibby) Motion to approve the October minutes as amended. All present voted yes;
motion carried. Next Meeting: Thursday, January 12th @ 5:05 p.m.
New Business:
January Local District/Register Training. The Commission finalized the training schedule (8:30-4
pm with lunch onsite) and location (city hall) for January 5th. The consultant will arrive on
January 3rd and preliminary work will include meetings with chair, vice chair, tour of Brookings,
final materials development, meet with property owner and prepare the mock application. A
social event will be organized for some time that week. Post review discussion will occur Friday
morning along with a final report/outcomes.
This project was funded by a NPS 2010-11 Supplemental Grant. The following is a summary of
grant
Creation of a Board Local Register Handbook that would include all the pertinent documents that
Commissioners would need to provide the city with sound decision-making and a glossary of preservation-
related terminology that might be helpful for Commissioners of varied levels of expertise.
A Board Retreat for the Commission that would review their role in the hist oric preservation process and
establish their goals and objectives for the educational component of their Certified Local Government
work. This session would be totally separate from any standard education process the City of Brookings
already provides for Commissioners vis a vis conflicts of interest, and other legal matters.
A Mock Public Hearing to provide Commissioners a "rehearsal" for the local review process. This mock
session would provide an opportunity for the Commission to experience the process first-hand, before
actual decision-making would need to occur. This may also involve a field trip to another jurisdiction to
observe the process elsewhere, before this mock session (i.e. Deadwood). This rehearsal would occur in
whatever room the BHPC would occupy in their official decision-making capacity. Volunteers (BHPC
alumni, community leaders, etc.) would be recruited to serve as applicants and mock testifiers to add
realism to the process.
Local Register Project. Statutory authority to create a Local Register was a new provision in Brookings
Ordinance No. 09-03, adopted by the Brookings City Council in 2003. In 2009 Brookings Historic Preservation
Commission, with the assistance of Frank Gilbert, Attorney for the National Trust of Historic Preservation,
completed the first phase of the Local Register project by developing all the legal processes and forms
necessary to list property on the Brookings Local Register of Historic Places.
A Local Register will afford considerably more legal protection to Brookings’ historic resources than previously
provided. The Commission then identified the following next steps to successfully implement the Brookings
Local Register. The proposed projects are highlighted and underlined in RED below.
1) Design Guideline Development
A. Develop a Request for Proposals
B. Secretary of Interior Standards for Rehabilitation are not specific enough for COA decision
making. This document will be the key to help district commission determine those decisions.
District specifics on character defining features as districts are established will be inserted into
this document.
C. Hire professional consultant.
2) Develop Commission Handbook/Rules of Procedure
A. Rules of procedures must be developed to include protocols, meeting st andards, and
consistent application of the rules. Rules must be consistent with authority granted by
ordinance. Decisions must be based on criteria and standards set by ordinance and in writing.
B. Possibly do in-house with consultation with various entities
3) Staff & Member Training
A. Board retreat & training
B. Develop overall strategy for immediate and long term training
C. Membership development – seek professional members
D. Seek professional guidance / consultant for training
E. Needs: Immediate for fledgling board & staff and ongoing program development - annual
F. New member training options
1) SHPO staff for basics on character defining features
2) National Trust (Better Boards)
3) National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (“Camp” & Annual conferences)
4) Professional Consultant / onsite training
5) Regional expertise (Deadwood staff & Iowa City staff)
4) Determination of Internal Processes / Policy Decisions
A. Staff review (determine what, if any, decisions staff can make on general applications)
B. Committee Review (determine if the Commission wants to establish a review committee)
C. Boundary Determinations
5) Local Support / Public Informational Materials & Events
A. BHPC host neighborhood meetings
B. Presentations to service organizations and other interested parties
C. Develop website information
6) Identify Administrative Issues
A. Identify all staff involved in Local Register process.
B. Develop timeline and checklists for all actions to ensure timely responses to applicants.
C. Identify all other city government partners in the p rocess and work towards clear communication
with all parties (City Manager, Community Development, Director of Equalization).
According to the State Historic Preservation Office’s FY Allocation Guide, projects identified as priorities in an
existing preservation plan qualify for supplemental fund priority consideration (Supplemental Funds 3H). This
project, Local Register of Historic Places Legal Process, is identified in the Brookings Historic Preservation Plan
under the “Historic Preservation Ordinance” and “Neighborhood Preservation” sections as funding priorities
and would be the final step in completing the Brookings Historic Preservation Ordinance project.
Realtor Workshop Proposal. Rowland, Willert and Thornes had a conference call with Paul
Porter and Jason Haug from the State Historical Society to discuss the proposed accredited
realtor workshop. Suggestions included:
A one day session rather than two days for increased participation
Involve local realtor’s association for local involvement and buy-in
Hold during winter months rather than June for better attendance
Considered Sioux Falls location, but prefer Brookings
Staff prepared the following revised agenda/program for a one day event that was less
involved
Realtor Workshop
Fall/2012 - Brookings
8:30 am Introductions & Overview
9:00 am Local Historic Preservation Program
Brookings Historic Preservation Commission
State Historic Preservation Society
9:15 am National Register of Historic Places
Districts & Individual Properties in Brookings
Qualifications (age, integrity, criteria)
Benefits of Listing
What’s 11.1 Review?
Other Historic Property Types
State Register
Local Register of Historic Places
10:15 am Break
10:30 am Incentives
Federal Tax Credits
Grants
Noon Lunch
1:30 pm Incentives (continued)
State Property Tax Moratorium
2:00 pm Marketing
Setting Yourself Apart
Utilize Resources in the Community
Economics of Preservation
Residential vs. Commercial
Sustainability Ties
2:45 pm Break
3:00 pm Marketing (continued)
4:00 pm Adjourn
“Picture South Dakota’s Past”. "Picture South Dakota's Past," produced by TDG
Communications from Deadwood, uses the smart phone technology with QR codes to help
visitors visualize local history, its architecture and its people. QR codes are similar to retail
barcodes. They can be scanned by any smart phone or iPad. The QR code directs the phone to
access an online historic photo from the same location. Text is included to tell the story behind
the photo.
TDG did a pilot project in Deadwood last summer, and the response has been good. The
company has been talking to SHPO and the Department of Tourism about using Matching
Challenge grants to promote heritage tourism.
City staff has determined it is not difficult or expensive to create QR codes. Tho rnes said if the
Commission was interested in this product as a future public education project, she
recommended doing it in-house and link directly to the city’s website.
Form nominating Committee Report / Election of Officers . Agostini and Willert volunteered to
serve on the nominating committee.
National and City Annual Reports. Thornes noted that the city’s annual report is due February
15th and the State’s is due January 31st.
Central Residential Historic District
County Courthouse Remodel – Rowland and Bibby attended a County Commission meeting
to emphasize the importance of the Courthouse’s historic features and to request an
opportunity to provide comments on the project. They also noted the project would be
subject to the State’s “11.1 review.” The County hired Architecture Inc., from Sioux Falls,
with Bob Mack as the lead architect. Mack and the firm have extensive experience in
historic rehabs. The County Commission said they’d involve the BHPC as part of the review
process as the project progresses.
Individually Listed / Proposed / Pending
628 Medary Avenue – The Commission expressed interest in National Register nomination
for the property. SHPO checked their files and found no previous determination of
eligibility for the property. They are requesting a “Preliminary Assessment form” and
current photos of the interior and exterior to start with. Gritzner and Merchant are working
the project. (http://history.sd.gov/Preservation/NatReg/NatRegProcedures.aspx)
202 5th Street – The recently listed property at 202 Fifth Street is on the market. Staff
received an inquiry from a potential buyer. The buyer was referred by a local realtor.
Calendar
Jan. 5th Local District Training, Brookings
Jan ? SD Historic Preservation Advocacy Day, Pierre
Feb. 15th Annual Report Deadline
April 1-4 National Main Street Conference, Baltimore, MD
April 13-14 SD State History Conference, Pierre
June 2-9 Preservation Leadership Training, Beaufort, SC
July 18-22 National Alliance of Preservation Commissions, Norfolk, VA
Oct. 30-Nov 3 National Trust Conference, Spokane, WA
Draft January Agenda: Annual Reports, Draft 2012-13 Grant Projects, Nominating Committee
Report / Election of Officers, Review & Update of Goals & Objectives for 2012, History & Garden
Festival Workshop
Meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m.
Submitted by Shari Thornes