HomeMy WebLinkAboutBHPCMinutes_2012_04_12Brookings Historic Preservation Commission
April 12, 2012
A meeting of the Brookings Historic Preservation Commission was held on Thursday, April 12,
2012 at 5:05 p.m. in City Hall. Members present: Dennis Willert, Mary Bibby, Pam Merchant,
and Janet Gritzner. Tom Agostini, Les Rowland and Father Ryan Hall were absent. Shari
Thornes, City Clerk, was also present.
Chairperson Willert called the meeting to order at 5:20 p.m.
Agenda: A motion was made by Merchant, seconded by Bibby, to approve the agenda. All
present voted yes, motion carried.
Minutes: A motion was made by Bibby, seconded by Merchant, to approve the January
minutes. All present voted yes; motion carried. NOTE: The BHPC did not meet in February or
March due to lack of quorum.
Next Meeting: No Thursday evenings in May were available for staff. Next meeting will be
Thursday, May 17th at 2 or 3 p.m.
NEW BUSINESS
Brookings County Courthouse Remodeling Presentation. Brookings County will move its offices
from the historic Courthouse to the new City/County Government Center this summer. Court
Services will remain in the building; however, significant remodeling is planned. The County
hired Mark Aspaas, Architecture Inc., Sioux Falls, to design the renovation. Aspaas presented
the proposed plans to the BHPC. It was noted that the official SDCL 11.1 review process has
not started yet and this was a preliminary discussion only and not an official comment of the
Commission.
Nominating Committee Report / Election of Officers. A motion was made by Bibby, seconded
by Merchant, to nominate Les Rowland as Chairperson and Dennis Willert as Vice Chairperson.
All present voted yes; motion carried.
Mayor’s Award 2012. The proposed date for the combined event is September 27th. Possible
locations: Carnegie Library, Brookings Library, High School Auditorium, and City/County
Administration Center. Staff will review these options with the Brookings Committee for
People who have Disabilities.
Volunteer Leadership Coffee with the Mayor. Mayor Reed is hosting “Volunteer Leadership
Coffees” on May 10th & 17th with city volunteer board, committee, council and commission
Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons. He hopes to provide the city’s volunteer leadership with
information on city issues and projects and seek input.
May 2012 - National Preservation Month- “Discover America's Hidden Gems.”
For Historic Preservation Month in May, the theme is “Discover South Dakota’s Hidden Gems.”
SHPO will be highlighting lesser known historic places from around the state. Their website
already has some posted and they’ll be adding more throughout May. Anyone, including the
BHPC, is welcome to submit ideas of places, buildings, or sites they think are hidden historic
gems in our state. http://history.sd.gov///preservation/HPMonth2012.aspx.
Hillcrest Park Historic Tree Claim. Thornes was contacted by a citizen expressing concern
about tree removal in Hillcrest Park. Pete Colson, City Park/Recreation & Forestry
Superintendent, said 30-40 ash trees were removed last fall and the stumps were removed this
spring. Removal was due to the Emerald Ash Borer disease. Hundreds of the original historic
tree claim still remains.
Thornes received a call Allyn Frerichs, retired Superintendent, with additional history about the
trees. In the 1930s the city topped off many of the trees causing them to rot in the middle. In
the 1960s over 300 trees were removed due to rot.
SDSU Demolitions. The following buildings on the SDSU campus are slated for demolition.
SHPO staff was in town to photo document the facilities.
UPDATES/REPORTS
Downtown Brookings Inc. History & Garden Festival – BHPC Sponsored Workshop:
“The Use of Substitute Materials on Historic Buildings: Decisions to make and factors to
consider,” by Paul Porter, Historic Restoration Specialist, State Historical Society. Porter has
generously agreed to give his PowerPoint presentation on the “Use of Substitute Materials on
Historic Buildings” at the 2012 Brookings History and Garden Festival.
Discussion revised schedule for ordinance review(s). The Commission suggested a special
meeting on this topic only. Staff will coordinate on a date.
Annual funding application update. The National Park Service funding application was
submitted on March 23rd with a funding request of $8,502. Projects include the annual
workshop, Mayor’s Awards for Historic Preservation, Real Estate Workshop and participation in
national conferences.
Preservation Partners
SHPO currently has three open RFP’s for new projects this year:
1. Architectural survey of Edmunds County
2. Phase 1 of updating our statewide agriculture and homesteading historic context
3. Surveying burial mounds in Jerauld, Miner, Sanborn, Davison, and Hand Counties (this is
about phase 6 of 9 of our larger burial mound survey project)
The Board of Trustees is meeting right now and will be considering 6 nominations, all of which
are West River except one in Yankton. The History Conference is April 12-13 and cover sports in
SD. The title is “Playing on the Plains: Sports and Recreation in South Dakota.”
Historic Properties Reports
A. Brookings Commercial Historic District
B. Central Residential Historic District
C. University Residential Historic District
D. Individually Listed / Proposed / Pending
- Rammed Earth Wall, SDSU – Concerns were raised about SDSU’s long range
plans and impact to the rammed earth structures at SDSU.
Calendar
April 13-14 SD State History Conference, Pierre (Father Ryan attending)
May 4-5 History and Garden Festival
May 10th Volunteer Leadership Coffee with Mayor/Innovation Campus, 8-9:30 am
May 17th Volunteer Leadership Coffee with Mayor/Innovation Campus, 8-9:30 am
July 18-22 National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Forum, Norfolk, VA
Sept 13 City Volunteer Reception, SDSU Performing Arts Center, 5-7 pm
Oct. 30-Nov 3 National Trust Conference, Spokane, WA
Dec. 6th Mayor’s Holiday Party, McCrory Gardens Visitor Center, 5-7 p.m.
Meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
Submitted by Shari Thornes