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cmd080321 spec mtg 2EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MEETING SPECIAL APPROVED MINUTES August 3, 2021 ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT Susan Paine, Council President Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, Councilmember Kristiana Johnson, Councilmember Luke Distelhorst, Councilmember Diane Buckshnis, Councilmember Vivian Olson, Councilmember Laura Johnson, Councilmember ALSO PRESENT Brook Roberts, Student Representative CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE STAFF PRESENT Scott Passey, City Clerk Dave Rohde, GIS Analyst Jerrie Bevington, Camera Operator The Edmonds City Council meeting was called to order at 6:45 p.m. by Council President Paine in the Council Chambers, 250 5th Avenue North, Edmonds and virtually. 2. INTERVIEW FOR APPOINTMENT TO A CITY BOARD OR COMMITTEE 1. INTERVIEW CANDIDATE Council President Paine explained this was an interview of an applicant for appointment to the Historic Preservation Commission. She introduced the applicant, Annie Doyon, and Councilmembers and the Student Representative introduced themselves. Councilmembers interviewed Ms. Doyon (responses in italics): Councilmember Buckshnis commented she was impressed with Ms. Doyon's resume and all the work and publications she has done and said she is a perfect fit. She explained many people have wondered about a historic district designation for the downtown area, noting she had a house in Oregon in an historically assessed area. She asked about her background in that and how it could happen. Most of my professional experience has been in surveying and inventorying, being on the crew that goes out in the field and inventories historic properties and historic resources within an area and then makes a determination whether there could be a district, are their individually eligible properties, are there potentially negative effects of a proposed project, etc. That is what most of the publications in my CV are, inventory and evaluation projects and is my area of expertise. I have done a few nominations and been part of the process, but I am more of a technical writer so surveying and reporting is more my strength. When I interviewed with the Mayor, I said I have always been surprised Edmonds doesn't have a district because it seems like Edmonds would be a great candidate to have a district. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes August 3, 2021 Page 1 Councilmember Olson said she was also super impressed with her resume, over and above what could be expected from a volunteer. She asked what preservation projects she had on her radar and which would be the most excited to pursue? Something I think would be interesting for Edmonds would be highlighting the mid-century modern, which is not always part of the typical picture or what cities are looking at, but Edmonds is a gem with mid-century. I also always like to involve the community such as workshops, educating youth, etc. I'm not sure if there has been much of that or if there is a lot of appetite for it, but I think it could be interesting and exciting. Councilmember Fraley-Monillas expressed her interest in looking at other areas of Edmonds that have potential historic value such as around Lake Ballinger, pointing out the island in middle of the lake used to house the Ballinger family although it burned down long ago. She said looking at that seems right up Ms. Doyon's alley. I love that idea which kind of matches with the mid-century. Downtown has amazing character, charm and identity, but there are neighborhoods, potentially structures and other history that is not visible above ground such as the island where the structure is gone but there is an interesting story. Council President Paine agreed she had a very impressive CV and she was impressed Ms. Doyon has experience with both architecture and landscape architecture with the Olmstead work she has done. She asked about her experience working with students, noting there are architecture programs at a couple of the local high schools. I haven't done a lot creating official student programs. When I worked with the nonprofit in Spokane, we coordinated community volunteers to do inventories, surveys and workshops so I have little experience with leading a group in an area that is not their job or training. I haven't worked specifically with students but have always loved the idea. It is exciting to have little kids learn about things and older kids do hands-on things especially if it can be coordinated with other curriculum. Council President Paine said Ms. Doyon would be an ideal candidate to do workshops for the community. Councilmember L. Johnson agreed her resume was exemplary and said the City will be fortunate to have her on the HPC. She expressed appreciation for Ms. Doyon's answer regarding mid-century modern, commenting they are one of her favorites and they have just reached the age of preservation. The idea of starting now before more are lost would be key. She asked whether Ms. Doyon had a few that she had her eye on. She also asked whether historic landscape architecture goes along with different eras of homes. There is definitely precedent for that, especially with mid-century modern. Older homes might have more formal gardens, but with the typical Pacific NW style of mid-century, landscaping was a big part of the design. The home was designed to go into the landscape so a lot of the mid-century homes have big windows with big trees and are located on woodsy lots. That is definitely something to consider. Councilmember K. Johnson commented before the pandemic the City Council approved having two graduate students in historic preservation help create a downtown historic district. That was put aside and she was hopeful that work could continue this fall or next year and would be a fun project for her to be involved in. The HPC also publishes a calendar every year that is given away to help promote historic preservation. A couple surveys have been done, but the biggest challenge is getting people to agree to put their home on the historic registry. She had a mid-century modern house in mind and was hopeful the first one would get put on the registry this year. She concluded there was no end to what Ms. Doyon could contribute and the HPC were a really good group of people. Councilmember Distelhorst agreed Ms. Doyon's qualifications were very clear. He appreciated her comments about mid-century modern and asked about her approach to using a sliding scale to historic preservation versus a set date. There is significant and then there is 50+ years old. In Edmonds the unique Northwest style of mid-century is unique, very vernacular, local and there are a lot of architects associated with it. It's easy to show examples of how something represents that such as heavy wooded lots and the big picture that's all still very original and true to the way it was built, designed and intended to function. There are a lot of original owner homes from that period which is exciting. It's an exciting time where the homes Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes August 3, 2021 Page 2 are newish to being 50 years old, but there may be original owners or some ties to the architect or other documentation like original photos or floorplans which can paint an amazing picture of why something is significant or just to educate or share. Student Rep Roberts commented it was exciting to see qualified people apply for positions on boards and commissions. The City has a Youth Commission comprised of 11 high school students. He asked what opportunities she saw for collaboration between the HPC and the Youth Commission? That could be a really interesting way to open the door to potential education or workshops, creating a bridge to that audience to find out what that age group is interested in and what they think preservation is about. Sometimes young people think it's old stuffy, museum, but it can be so much more engaging and exciting. Things like reuse, adapting an old building for a new purpose or getting involved with hands-on activities like a survey and inventory project could be exciting for that audience. That would allow the youth to get experience and look at the community. Council President Paine advised her application is on Consent Agenda for approval. 12. ADJOURN With no further business, the Council meeting was adjourned at 6:58 p.m. MICIiWNELSON,MAYOR S PASS ,CITY CLE K Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes August 3, 2021 Page 3