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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBHPCMinutes_2012_08_29Brookings Historic Preservation Commission August 29, 2012 A meeting of the Brookings Historic Preservation Commission was held on Wednesday, August 29, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. in City Hall. Members present: Pam Merchant, Tom Agostini, Dennis Willert, Janet Gritzner, Father Ryan Hall and Les Rowland. Mary Bibby was absent. Shari Thornes, City Clerk, was also present. Chairperson Rowland called the meeting to order at 5:25 p.m. Agenda: A motion was made by Willert, seconded by Merchant, to approve the agenda. All present voted yes, motion carried. Minutes: A motion was made by Merchant, seconded by Agostini, to approve the July minutes. All present voted yes; motion carried. Next Meeting: Thursday, October 4th at 5:15 p.m. NEW BUSINESS Reports on National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC) Forum FORUM 2012 NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PRESERVATION COMMISSIONS Norfolk, Virginia - July 18-22, 2012 BHPC report – Mary Bibby I was the lucky one on this trip to the Forum 2012 of the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions held in Norfolk, VA, July 18-22 with my airline departures, arrivals and connections all pretty much on schedule. The rest of our Brookings Historic Preservation Commission members had from irritating to monumental travel snags. But once we were all there, it was definitely a rewarding experience and worth the effort to attend. A major part of the Forum was the area itself. Our hotel was in Portsmouth, just across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk, with sweeping window views of the naval presence that dominates. We needed to cross the river in a ferry or water taxi just to get to the meetings. For the most part, the weather cooperated although there was rain that we wished were in South Dakota instead. But the friendliness we encountered could have come straight from home. Participants in the Forum were friendly, engaged, and eager to share and learn. Nothing stuffy about this crowd of “hystericals.” We particularly enjoyed those we met from the islands of Maui, Kauai, and Oahu in Hawaii. Their brand of historic preservation deals more with culture than with buildings and, as one said, what may appear to be a “pile of rocks” can have great significance. I think they would be sympathetic to walls of rammed earth. All of the great variety of sessions were well attended, even packed with standing room only. New to me was the lack of handouts. Instead, we were given a flash drive already loaded with information that we could download later. I attended a session on Survey & New Technology which further emphasized the ways that technology has changed our survey practices and research potential. GIS mapping was singled out as a major tool. South Dakota’s Donovan Rypkema spoke to the 2011 study by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in his presentation on Measuring the Economics of Historic Preservation. I had heard Donovan speak at another national meeting several years ago and wondered if it would be the same message. But he has zeroed in on new indicators and recognized that different measures must be made. While still able to demonstrate statistical evidence of economic value in preservation, the measures incorporate new methodologies and a broader range of criteria. The Legal Framework session covered a wide range of topics but I found its concentration on due process of great interest. The panel of three emphasized that consistency is the key to being effective—and being upheld if challenged. Of course, most of this discussion referred to communities with Local Districts. Good to be forewarned. Demolition-by-neglect statutes were the subject of another session I attended, conducted by Dan Becker of the Raleigh, NC, Department of City Planning. Now, this is a touchy issue! But I was amazed to learn that there have actually been success stories in cajoling, helping, convincing owners to fix up their property and benefit from doing it. The message was to enter the situation as being there to help rather than using an adversarial approach. Almost 50 years ago, I remember the excitement when completion of the 17.6-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connected Virginia to its Eastern Shore. It was considered one of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World. I had always wanted to see it. To my surprise, it no longer seems to be any big deal among the Norfolk locals. And it does not dominate the sky. It is a low trestle bridge with two tunnels and north channel bridges to allow barge and other water traffic to pass through. Just a bridge in these modern days. But I was still thrilled finally to see and drive over it. To me, it is History Big-Time. It was a privilege to attend this Forum and I thank those who made it possible. Mary Bibby BHPC member Thornes provided a written outline of key points from each session she attended. In response to sessions he attended, Willert posed the following questions to the BHPC for discussion. Does our local commission use a Certificate of Appropriateness? If not, do we offer an incentive of special recognition (mayor award) when a building permit is requested (are we rewarding the behavior we want from our preservation efforts)? Has our preservation group looked into holding easements? Is our ordinance language specific to Brookings? If was copied from the Dept of Interior language, it is too vague. They cited several court cases where the Preservation language was struck down. Do we feel we have a clear process? Is there consistency regardless of the circumstances? Do you have a copy of the Kaufman study? http://www.kauffman.org/Details.aspx%5C?id=1434. Have we considered having our own data generated from economic impact of the historic preservation efforts within Brookings? Proposed Legislation. Thornes contacted Jason Haug, State Preservation Director, about a potential legislative amendment that would eliminate the city residency requirement for BHPC members. The following is Jason’s recommendation: 1. Draft legislation language –1-19B-3. Composition of preservation commission--Residence-- Terms of office. The Historic Preservation Commission shall consist of not less than five nor more than ten members, who shall be appointed by the governing body with due regard to proper representation of such fields as history, architecture, urban planning, archaeology, paleontology, and law. All members of the commission shall reside within the jurisdiction of the county or municipality establishing the commission and shall serve for terms not to exceed three years, being eligible for reappointment as shall be specified by the governing body. 2. Talk to other HPCs. If most other HPCs are not supportive of this change, SHPO won’t support it either. Find out if they have any concerns about the proposed amendment. If they support it, get letters/resolutions of support from as many HPCs as you can. 3. Proposed justifications for the amendment: a. It’s hard enough getting people interested in serving and staying on these commissions. This change would remove one limitation to that. b. Just because someone doesn’t live within the city or county limits doesn’t mean that person doesn’t have an interest in seeing the preservation of that city/county promoted and encouraged. People could live somewhere else but own property or work in that city or county. c. If some would argue that this would allow for HPC members that are not as invested or interested in the community as those that live there, there is already a safeguard in place for that. It’s up to the governing body to appoint commissioners as they deem appropriate and with due regard to the professions identified in that statute. If a mayor didn’t want to appoint someone who lived outside the city, they wouldn’t have to. But if they thought someone would make a good commissioner but just happens to live outside of town, they should still be able to appoint them. This would provide more local control. Jason Haug - Historic Preservation Director A motion was made by Willert, seconded by Merchant, to submit the proposed legislation to SHPO for the 2013 Legislative Session. All present voted yes; motion carried. UPDATES/REPORTS Combined Mayor’s Awards Event – September 27th. Thornes provided the following updates  Brookings High School, Bobcat Commons, 5-7 p.m., program @ 5:30 p.m.  Group Meeting of the chairs & vice chairs from all three groups is planned for September 4th at 11:00 a.m.  All Commission members are asked to attend the event to greet winners and other guests. Please wear name badges.  Press releases – commission members are writing the press releases and taking pictures.  Invites are ordered.  Advertising will be done via press release, website, government channel, Facebook, Register & Shopper, invites through Chamber mailing and Chamber email list.  Enlarged posters – staff will order after releases and pictures are finalized.  Other arrangements: Staff will call winners to confirming attendance.  Music by Murph & Friends  Food: cake, meat/cheese/crackers, punch, coffee Real Estate Workshop –September 28th. The Deadwood workshop will be held on September 26th and Brookings workshop on Friday, September 28th from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. The Mayor has agreed to give a welcome. Our marketing will include direct mailing to several east river real estate professionals. Brookings Commercial Historic District Walking Tour Brochure. The Commission reviewed a final draft and made the following changes. • On the current draft the samples are too pink. Recommend a richer tone of burnt-sienna or brown in the brick background. • Eliminate the ‘picture frame’ effect on all photo • Tighten the leading, eliminate the hyphenations and please no orphan lines • Keep the Post-office image on the front cover • Insert ‘Nick’s’ into the appropriate section to maintain the walking tour order… artwork to follow from Les. Replace the panel “What is the national register of historic places’ with #58 “U.S. Post office.” • Move “what is the national register of historic places” to acknowledgements pages • Use map format in the original walking tour brochure, column list the properties under the enlarged map, expand the map edge to edge for ease of reading, reduce the white space in the columns. Pioneer Park Commemorative Plaque. Sadly, this project is on hold due to the death of Dianne Ammann, who was coordinating the entire project. Thornes will follow up with band representatives next year. Preserve America Signs. The following letter was sent to the SDSU Faculty Committee regarding placement of the Preserve America signs on the SDSU campus. August 14, 2012 Dear SDSU Faculty Committee: The Brookings Historic Preservation Commission (BHPC), on behalf of the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), is requesting approval to install “Preserve America Signs” on campus at the following locations: Historic Stock Judging Pavilion (current Ag Heritage Museum), Administration Building, Sylvan Theatre & Campanile, Horse Barn and McCrory Gardens. Please note that we are presently working with David Graper, Director of McCrory Gardens, Martin Maca, Assistant Director, to determine an appropriate location for the McCrory sign. The South Dakota State Historical Society – State Historic Preservation Office (SD SHPO) received a Preserve America grant to help fund the South Dakota Heritage Tourism Education Program. The project’s goal is to encourage South Dakota communities to identify and recognize their significant historic properties and provide those communities with interpretative signs to promote that history. Brookings received ten signs in this statewide initiative. 1. Pioneer Park Bandshell 2. Hillcrest Park Tree Claim 3. Government Center – Carnegie, Courthouse, 1921 Building and Central Elementary 4. Sexauer Seed Historic District 5. Downtown Historic Commercial District 6. SDSU - McCrory Gardens 7. SDSU – Historic Stock Judging Pavilion (current Ag Heritage Museum) 8. SDSU – Administration 9. SDSU – Sylvan Theatre & Campanile 10. SDSU – Horse Barn On July 13, 2012, Dean Kattelmann, Shari Thornes, Brookings City Clerk and I toured campus and selected two location options for each sign. Our recommendations were based on proximity to the building/structure, while not detracting or competing with existing signage. All locations were also close to a concrete walk/hard surface for compliance with Federal accessibility regulations. The enclosed partial campus site plan illustrates first and second choice options for each sign. Also enclosed are graphic images of each of sign, which are currently in the possession of SDSU Facilities and Services. The signs are 24” x 36” in size, constructed of rigid, weather-resistant material, and will be supported with a single post. SDSU Facilities and Services plans to install the signage shortly after a consensus has been reached by your committee. An explanation on our proposed locations: Sylvan Theater: Option #1: Located within the canopy of the adjacent pine trees to the north of the walk just inside of the pedestrian entrance gate. We thought this would easily be seen upon entering the campus through the gate and did not detract from the visual appeal of the campanile or Sylvan Theater lawn. Option #2: Located north of the walk across the turn-around drive on the north side of Pugsley. However, this location does not get as much foot traffic and can be perceived as being on the back side of Sylvan Theater. Administration Building: Option #1: Located within the landscaping on the northwest corner of the building. We did not want the signage to detract from the overall image of the front entrance or the existing historical plaque adjacent to the front doors. Option #2: Located within the landscaping on the southwest corner of the building. Though also adjacent the building, it is our thought that this area does not receive as much foot traffic as on the north side. Ag Heritage Museum: Option #1: Located within the front lawn tucked within the jog of the building to the east of the front entrance. We thought this location would have the most exposure and setting the sign within the building setback would lessen its impact to the building entrance. Option #2: Located within the front lawn to the west of the front entrance. This location would not be our preferred location since the majority of foot traffic to the building will be coming and going from the east. Horse Stables: Option #1: Located adjacent to Medary Avenue north of the entrance drive to the stables. The difficulty with this location is that there is not a concrete walk on this side of Medary Avenue so there is a concern whether anyone would ever stop and read the information. Option #2: Located at the end of the entrance drive about 30 feet east of the building. The proposed location is north of the drive within the adjacent grass area. Similar concern as in Option #1 is who would read the information. On behalf the BHPC, I thank you for your time and look forward to hearing from you! I can be reached at 692-4008 or by email at les@teamdesignarc.com. Respectfully Submitted, Les Rowland Chair, Brookings Historic Preservation Commission cc: Mayor Tim Reed Jeffrey Weldon, City Manager Brookings Historic Preservation Commission Jason Haug, State Historic Preservation Director, Pierre National Trust Conference Attendance. The BHPC received funding for two to attend the 2012 National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference in Spokane, WA, October 30- November 3. Willert and Rowland will be attending. Preservation Partner Reports: SHPO, DBI & PSD Preserve South Dakota – Kate Nelson, Executive Director, has been attending HPC meetings around the state looking for ways for Preserve SD to work with HPCs on local issues. So far, she has met with Sioux Falls to discuss advocacy work for historic schools that may be closed and Pierre/Ft. Pierre. PSD is hoping to work together on Advocacy Day during legislative session this winter. She’d be happy to attend a BHPC meeting. Nelson will also be presenting a session on preserving our built environment at the upcoming AIA SD Convention in Sioux Falls on Sept. 12. Historic Properties Reports. No report. Calendar Sept 13 City Volunteer Reception, SDSU Performing Arts Center, 5-7 pm Sept 13-15 Minnesota Preservation Conference,Fergus Falls Sept 27 Mayor’s Award Event, 5-7 pm, Brookings High School Bobcat Commons Sept 28 Real Estate Workshop, 8:30 am- 4 pm, Brookings City & County Govt Center Oct. 30-Nov 3 National Trust for Historic Preservation 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