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2005-05-12 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesHISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES May 12, 2005 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission was called to order at 3:30 p.m. in the 3'd Floor Conference Room of City Hall, 121 — 5t1i Avenue North. PRESENT ABSENT Stephen Waite, Chair Ed Baker Brian Hall Darrell Marmion Chuck LeWarne Barbara Kindness Deborah Binder Michael Plunkett READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES STAFF PRESENT Rob Chave, Planning and Development Services Manager. Star Campbell, Planner COMMISSIONER KINDNESS MOVED THAT THE MINUTES BE APPROVED AS CORRECTED. COMMISSIONER BINDER SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA Ms. Campbell requested that the Commission allow a short presentation by Chris Lund, the Project Manager for the Edmonds Center for the Arts, which is a Public Facility District's (PFD) Project. The Commission agreed to allow Ms. Lund to make her presentation as part of "Requests from the Audience." REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE Ms. Campbell introduced Kjris Lund, the project Manager for the Edmonds Center for the Arts Project. Ms. Lund said she was present to share a report the PFD commissioned about the history of the building that is going to the Edmonds Center for the Arts. She advised that the northern portion of the building, which was built in 1909, would be demolished as part of the new development. As required by the Hearing Examiner, she reported that the PFD was required to complete a Historic American Building (HAB) survey of the portion that is being torn down. She distributed a copy of the report that was completed by the consultant the PFD obtained. In addition to the detailed information that was provided in the report for the 1909 portion of the building, she said she would d to have the same level of information for the 1939 portion of the building that would be preserved. Ms. Lund explained that the focus of the report is the history of the Edmonds School District, who donated the property. It also includes the story of the architects who designed the 1909 structure and how it was modeled after the "model school plan" that the City of Seattle had in place. The report compares this building to school buildings that are still standing in the City of Seattle that are of the same plan. The report also speaks about the contractors who were involved in the work. She said she believes the report is an excellent documentation of the history. Ms. Lund said that, in addition to the report, the PFD is currently working on signing a contract with the contractor. One of the elements of the contract will be the demolition and what happens to all of the salvageable materials. She said she is not an advocate of cannibalizing buildings. But at the same time, she doesn't want things to be taken to the dump or sold by the contractor if the PFD and the community feel they have historic value to the City. She asked the Historic Preservation Commissioners to participate in a walk through of the 1909 building to identify those elements that they believe should be retained by the PFD and donated to the museum or used for some other historic preservation benefit. Ms. Lund advised that PFD Board Member Lindsey Echelbarger has expressed interest in finding a way for the PFD to save the portico of the front door entrance to the 1909 structure. She pointed out that in the plaza of the Federal Building in downtown Seattle you can find the doors of the structure that had originally been on the site. She asked the Commissioners to provide their ideas and suggestions regarding this idea, as well. Ms. Lund referred to the 1939 portion of the structure, which is the main auditorium that will be saved and stabilized. Once they complete the bulk of the renovation work, they intend to apply for National Register status for the 1939 structure and the old gymnasium. They would also like to apply to the Federal program called Save America's Treasures. It is the PFD's hope that the Commission would join them in their efforts to bring attention to the 1939 structure and elevate it as an important structure for the City of Edmonds. Commissioner Marmion pointed out that as a Certified Local Government, the Historic Preservation Commission is required to be involved in screening applications for the National Register. Ms. Campbell said the Commission has certainly been given the authority to screen these applications, but she doesn't know if they are obligated to do so. Ms. Lund said the PFD would definitely want to have the Commission review their application for the National Register to make sure it meets the City's goals for historic preservation. Commissioner Hall pointed out that the PFD should also pursue a nomination to the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. Ms. Lund reported that the PFD is hoping to start work on the project in the summer of 2005. All of the exterior work would be in conformance with the Secretary of Interior Standards. However, the construction would take place before the building is placed on the National Register. Chair Waite asked who had title to the materials from the old high school structure. Ms. Lund answered that the PFD is the owner, but the contractor typically gives all of the rights to the demolition contractor. However, she would like to work with the Commission, the Museum and other groups before giving the demolition contractor all the salvage rights. Since they are hoping to sign the final contract in June or July, it is important that they take stock of what's in the building as soon as possible. Council Member Plunkett said he was recently notified by an individual who indicated that the 1909 building contains plaques for public officials, school board members, etc. He felt these plaques should be preserved. Commissioner LeWarne pointed out that the plaque that was placed on the building by the Edmonds -South Snohomish County Historical Society belongs to the Society. He suggested that Ms. Lund check into this matter by contacting Jeanette Wood, the President of the Society. Commissioner LeWarne asked if anything from the 1909 building would be incorporated into the auditorium remodel project. For example, there might be some interesting places to put the slate boards. Ms. Lund answered that the PFD does not have plans to do this. She explained that there would not be a lot of public space in the remodeled auditorium. She noted, however, that some of the old school rooms would be retained, including the old slate boards. She further noted that many of the historic details were taken out of the 1909 structure during previous renovations. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 12, 2005 Page 2 Commissioner Marmion asked if a hazardous materials assessment has been completed for the 1909 building. Ms. Lund answered affirmatively. She explained that issues identified in this assessment would be dealt with as the first step of the demolition work. Commissioner Marmion recalled that Natalie Shippen previously suggested to the Commission that bricks from the 1909 structure be sold as a fundraiser. The Commission was told that this would not be an option since the bricks had been coated with hazardous materials. Ms. Lund said the City has the hazardous materials assessment in their possession, but she has not heard anything about the bricks being hazardous. Chair Waite said the hazardous material would most likely be related to the mortar that was used between the bricks. The Commission scheduled the walk through for Thursday, June 2nd at 3:30 p.m. They agreed to meet in the Lobby of the Auditorium Building. Ms. Lund suggested that, at some future date, the Commission could invite Susan Boyle to provide an overview presentation of the PFD's Report on the 1909 portion of the building. Council Member Plunkett suggested that Ms. Boyle be invited to provide her report at a City Council meeting, since these meetings are televised. He noted that Mr. Chave is trying to schedule an opportunity for Ms. Boyle to make a presentation to the City Council on the work she did for the Commission. Ms. Lund agreed that it would be appropriate for her to make her presentation at the City Council level. PUBLIC HEARINGS No public hearings were scheduled on the agenda. Ms. Campbell introduced Gina Coccia, the City's new planner. She invited each of the Commissioners to introduce themselves, as well. She advised that Ms. Coccia was previously an intern for the City of Edmonds, and she has recently worked for the cities of Woodinville and Lynnwood. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS Administrative Subcommittee Report Commissioner LeWarne announced that the grant application that was submitted to the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation was denied. He said the upshot of this was a meeting with Frances Chapin, Edmonds Cultural Services Manager; Mr. Bader, President of the City of Edmonds Art Commission; Jeanette Wood, President of the Edmonds -South Snohomish County Historical Society; and Joni Sein, Director of the Museum. The result of the meeting was that they are somewhat encouraging the Commission to go ahead with the brochure they want to create. However, they do not want public art included, since they are currently modifying and revising an old public art brochure. They did suggest that they all work together in developing a format so that the Commission's walking tour brochure of historic sites would be compatible with their public arts brochure. Commissioner LeWarne said that both he and Commissioner Binder feel the Commission should develop a format of their own rather than use the County's, which is rather restrictive. Commissioner LeWarne said that, in addition, the group made some suggestions for other sources of grant funding. Commissioner Binder reported that she is pursuing an application for a quick grant from Humanities Washington, and this application only requires a letter. In addition, Commissioner Binder said a member of the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation Board offered some suggestions for smaller grant opportunities the Commission could apply for. She said she would continue to work on this effort so that the Commission could eventually obtain enough funding to hire a graphic designer. She said she was very disappointed to learn that many of the members of the City of Edmonds Art Commission and the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation do not perceive historic architecture as art and part of the City's cultural heritage. She noted that part of the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation's Mission Statement is to allow the community of Edmonds to share in the arts and cultural heritage of the community. As a member of both these organizations, she is working hard to convince them that historic architecture is part of the cultural heritage of Edmonds. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 12, 2005 Page 3 Commissioner Binder said her goal is for the Commission to create a brochure that not only the Edmonds community would want to use, but also people who come and want to make Edmonds a destination. They could make an interesting, entertaining, informative brochure by including some of the quirky, fun public art elements that exist in Edmonds. But neither the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation nor the City of Edmonds Art Commission wanted to participate with the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission in this effort. Council Member Plunkett suggested that these two groups be referred to the City's Comprehensive Plan, which includes eight items making reference to historic preservation and carrying forward the historic architecture into the future. Council Member Plunkett asked if the Commission is in danger of losing the $500 grant funding that has already been offered to the Commission. Commissioner Binder answered that the $500 would be available to the Commission through the end of 2005, but it is not really enough to start anything. Council Member Plunkett pointed out that the Commission already has sample designs for the brochure, and they have computers in house that could be used to create the design. He suggested that they probably have someone on City staff who could help with this project. He concluded that he is not convinced they need to spend money to hire a graphic designer. Commissioner Binder expressed her opinion that a graphic designer would be necessary, especially if the City wants to create a brochure that could be used as a companion piece to the Edmonds Art Commission's new brochure. She expressed her opinion that creating two brochures would be a waste of money, since a walking tour brochure could be designed to serve both public art and historic sites. Mr. Chave said he would talk to Ms. Chapin regarding the timing of the Art Commission's new brochure. He said the City already has most of the design software that graphic designers use. If the Art Commission comes up with an overall design template, it could be modified for the Commission's brochure. Commissioner Marmion said that when he set up the Commission's web page, he incorporated some elements from the Art Commission's web page. He was immediately notified that the Art Commission did not want the Historic Preservation Commission using their design elements. Commissioner LeWarne recalled that interest was previously expressed about the possibility of the two Commissions meeting together. However, he said he does not feel there would be much value to this type of meeting. He pointed out that Mr. Bader, the President of the City of Edmonds Art Commission, did not even know who the Historic Preservation Commission was. Commissioner Binder suggested that if arts educated people are telling the Commission that architecture doesn't have too much to do with art, the Commission needs to make this a point of information at their June 91 public open house. Commissioner LeWarne clarified that the Art Commission and Arts Foundation are not necessarily unsympathetic to the Commission's idea to create a walking tour brochure, but they want there to be two separate brochures. Commissioner Kindness pointed out that the grant process takes a long time. She recalled that the mailboxes that are currently located on the 1909 portion of the PFD project were originally going to be used as a fundraiser by the Edmonds Center for the Arts. She suggested that perhaps the Commission could take this on as a fundraising project, instead. The Edmonds Center for the Arts has researched and found someone on the east coast who knows how to turn the mailboxes into collector's items. She suggested that this type of project would fit with the Commission's historic mission and provide them with a source of income. Chair Waite asked if there are City guidelines the Commissioners should keep in mind when they write grant applications on behalf of the Commission. He asked that Commissioners forward copies of any communications they have regarding grant applications to Ms. Campbell so that they could be compiled into an official binder. Mr. Chave said that if any contracts are involved with a grant application, they must be reviewed by the City Attorney. He noted that grants from the State Historic Preservation Commission are probably the most onerous since they are funded with federal dollars and have all kinds of financial requirements attached to them. He summarized that all grant application requirements are different, so each time the Commission requests grant funding, the application should be run by the staff so they can identify any specific requirements that might require authorization by the City Council, etc. Commissioner Hall suggested that perhaps the Commission could contact some of the local businesses with a request for funding. The Commission's brochure could then advertise the businesses that provide funding. Commissioner Binder said it was previously suggested that the Commission approach the developer of the Edmonds Center for the Arts with a request for Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 12, 2005 Page 4 funding. She asked if letters of this type would require City approval before they are sent out. Ms. Campbell said copies of all letters should be forwarded to her and Mr. Chave. Any document that is sent out by a Commissioner on behalf of the Commission must become part of the public record. The City is required by law to provide this documentation to the public upon request. Mr. Chave said it would be best for staff to review the draft letter before it is sent out. The Commission discussed whether or not it would be appropriate to identify the businesses that provide funding on the brochure. Mr. Chave said if the Commission receives money from different sources, they must make sure there are no conflicts. For example, putting a name in the brochure to please one source could run afoul of a grant they are receiving somewhere else. But normally, he did not think this would be a problem. Ms. Campbell recalled that the first brochure was created by a graphic designer who actually donated his time, and this is a good example of a private business donating something to the Commission's brochure effort. The current brochure makes note of who designed the document. Council Member Plunkett suggested that the Commission attempt to raise funding for the brochure from merchants in the community. He recommended that the Public Affairs and Outreach Subcommittee come up with a plan for the Commission's consideration that would find merchants to participate in the project by providing funding in exchange for advertising. Perhaps if they offer advertising opportunities, they could end up with a bigger and better brochure. Commissioner Binder said that she and Commissioner LeWarne have already developed a fundraising letter, and she has a list of names of people and groups to send it to. She said she would email her list of names to each Commissioner, and they could provide more suggestions to enable her to come up with a master list. She said she would also forward a copy of the letter to staff for review and approval. Mr. Chave said he would also research to find out what type of account must be established with the City's Accounting Office in order for the Commission to accept donated money. Public Affairs and Outreach Subcommittee Report Commissioner Kindness reminded the Commission that each Subcommittee was given an assignment for the public open house on June 9t1i. She distributed a copy of the invitations that have been printed for the event, and reported that she sent out a press release to all of the media. The Planning and Development Service Office previously approved both of the documents. Ms. Campbell advised that the City has three display boards available for the event. She said it is important for the Commissioners to submit their materials as soon as possible so they can work on placing them on the boards. She suggested that they spend their regular meeting time on June 91 getting the materials set up for the forum. She said she has identified various documents that could be displayed on the boards. She asked that the Commission review the list and make any additions or changes they feel are necessary. Commissioner Kindness pointed out that rather than just providing written documents for the public to review, visual aids are important, as well. They will provide a handout describing who the Historic Preservation is and what they are doing, as well as a handout of frequently asked questions regarding historic preservation. In addition, they will provide a display of the Preserve America Program. She asked that the Commissioners provide their additional ideas to her as soon as possible. In addition to the 83 owners of property identified in the survey, Commissioner Binder suggested that invitations be sent to the Edmonds Art Commission and Edmonds -South Snohomish County Historical Society members, etc. Commissioner Kindness said she would work over the next few weeks to identify addresses for each of the 83 property owners. She also asked that Commissioners identify others they would like to invite. In addition, she could forward the invitation on a flyer type format to each of the Commissioners so they could be sent out via the email. Commissioner LeWarne asked that Commissioner Kindness provide a list of the people who are already on the invitation list. Council Member Plunkett suggested that Commissioner Kindness keep an accounting of the funds that are spent for the event. Perhaps they might be able to get the City to reimburse her for the costs. The Commission all agreed that they would donate supplies for the refreshments. Council Member Plunkett asked that Commissioner Kindness email each of the Commissioners regarding the items she needs them to donate. Commissioner Binder suggested that the Mayor also has discretionary funding that could be used to pay for the event. Again, Council Member Plunkett asked Commissioner Kindness to keep track of the money that is spent for the event, and he would approach the City regarding possible funding. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 12, 2005 Page 5 If no City funding is available, the Commission agreed to split the costs amongst themselves. Lastly, Mr. Chave suggested that once the invitations have been addressed, she could drop them off to staff, and the City could mail them out. In addition, a copy of the invitation could be posted on the bulletin board if Commissioner Kindness were to approach the City Clerk with a request. She should contact Linda Carl in the Mayors Office regarding the possibility of advertising the event on the public television station. Commissioner Binder expressed her opinion that it is ridiculous that members of a City Commission have to pay for supplies for a public event out of their own pockets. Commissioner Kindness said she is still working to arrange a speaker for the event. Susan Boyle has been invited, but she has not confirmed whether she can attend or not. Another idea is to invite someone who has had his or her property designated on a historic register to share a success story. Commissioner LeWarne agreed to contact Michael Houser, the person who handles the registered properties for the Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation, with a request that he help them find a person to present a success story. Commissioner Kindness asked the Incentives Subcommittee to obtain a prototype or sample of the type of plaque that would be placed on properties that are identified on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. Chair Waite said the best they could do is provide a graphic example only. Historic Register Subcommittee Report Commissioner Marmion advised that the Historic Register Subcommittee had nothing new to report to the Commission regarding their activities. Incentives Subcommittee Report Chair Waite recalled that at the last meeting the Incentives Subcommittee presented a rough prototype for the plaque. He also reported that the price of the plaque would be about $125. At the suggestion of his fellow Commissioners, he has added the address and year built to the plaque, which raises the price to about $175. He said it was also suggested that the City's logo be added to the plaque. But after further investigation, he learned that this might be too expensive. Chair Waite explained that the real cost of the plaque is related to its actual size, and the cost estimates are based on a 5" x 8" plaque. With a 9" x 12" plaque the cost would increase from $125 to $270. He summarized that the quantity of the lettering is not the most significant expense, so they could include two or three lines to specifically identify the structure. Chair Waite suggested that for the open house he could prepare a prototype design for what the Commission is considering for the plaque. Commissioner Hall pointed out that since the Museum has already been placed on the Edmonds Register of Historic Place, they could have a plaque made up before the public forum event. Chair Waite said it might be difficult to have the plaque produced in time. He said that he could bring a sample of the larger plaques used by the Edmonds -South Snohomish County Historical Society, but then the public might get the impression that the actual plaques would be bigger than they actually would be. The Commission reviewed the prototype that was provided by Chair Waite. They discussed that the plaque should identify the Edmonds Register of Historic Places in order to distinguish from the National Register. Commissioner Binder suggested that the plaque could also identify the date on which the building was placed on the Edmonds Register. Chair Waite reminded the Commission that they previously agreed to include the date the building as completed. Commissioner Binder suggested that since the address of the building would likely already be located somewhere on the building, it might be better to include the historic name of the structure, instead. Again, Chair Waite said he would come up with a prototype of the plaque based on the comments provided by the Commissioners. This prototype would at least let the public know about what they can expect. Commissioner Binder said that in most of the communities where she has lived, the owners pay for the plaques that are placed on the buildings. Chair Waite said that when he was in Olympia, he asked this question to many of the people that Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 12, 2005 Page 6 represented Commissions. The City of Olympia pays for the plaques, and they have more than 100 properties on their register. Their plaques currently cost them $328 each. Everett does not pay for their plaques and does not make it mandatory that individual property owners have them. Council Member Plunkett said he is not sure the property owners would be willing to pay for the plaques at this time. But once they get some of them out into the community, they might be more willing to pay for them. Strate,aic Planning Subcommittee Report The Strategic Planning Subcommittee did not provide a report of their activities. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business scheduled on the agenda. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS Ms. Campbell stressed that it is important that Commissioners forward all of the items they want to have placed on the display boards to staff as soon as possible. They should look through the list she provided and make suggestions and changes as appropriate. Commissioner Binder inquired if there would be any public handouts at the public event. Ms. Campbell said that Council Member Plunkett obtained copies of a brochure from the National Association of Realtors, but they don't have very many left. Commissioner Binder said she would try to locate more copies of this brochure. The Commission agreed that staff would provide enough copies of the Commission's brochure and the inventory for everyone in the audience to have one. In addition, they could provide copies of the handout regarding the application process. Ms. Campbell said the City staff provides handouts for all kinds of permitting procedures in the Planning and Development Services Office. She used the City's template to create a handout to describe the application process to have a property identified on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. She distributed a copy of the handout for the Commission to review. She explained that the handout would be given to people who are interested in placing their property on the Register. It describes the criteria and nomination process and is a lot less intimidating than the flow chart that was prepared by the Commission. The flow chart identifies in-house administrative procedures that the general applicant will not likely have to deal with. Council Member Plunkett agreed that the flow chart could seem intimidating to the general public. Commissioner Binder said it is important that the information provided at the public event does not scare people away from registering their properties. They should present the positive aspects of the historic preservation program. Commissioner LeWarne suggested that it would also be good to display the poster that was put out to advertise Historic Preservation Month. In addition, the two videotapes that were produced by the Commission would run throughout the event. Ms. Campbell said she is still lacking information for the incentives board. She said she would like a short document describing each of the incentives. Council Member Plunkett pointed out that one panel of the Commission's brochure provides this information and could be enlarged and placed on the incentives board. Council Member Plunkett suggested that the Building Codes related to historic preservation could be identified on the incentives board. This could even be made into a handout. Ms. Campbell asked Chair Waite to take responsibility for putting together all of the codes related to historic preservation. REVIEW OF NEXT MEETING'S PROPOSED AGENDA Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 12, 2005 Page 7 Ms. Campbell recommended that the entire June 91 meeting be used by the Commissioners to set up the room and post the materials for the public event that would be held later in the evening. The Commissioners agreed that this would be appropriate. They also agreed that the meeting should start at 4:30 p.m. instead of 3:30 p.m. HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS Chair Waite did not provide any comments during this portion of the meeting. HISTORIC PRESERVATION MEMBER COMMENTS Commissioner LeWarne announced that the tour that Louise Lindgren and the Snohomish County Preservation Commission is sponsoring is set for June 11' and would begin in Edmonds. Chair Waite would meet with them to talk about the building he is located in. Commissioner LeWarne said that while he cannot be present at the meeting, someone else from the Edmonds -South Snohomish County Historical Society would be present to talk about Edmonds' history. He said all of the Commissioners are invited to attend the tour. Commissioner LeWarne reported that the State Legislature passed legislation that changed the Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation to the Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation, which is quite an upgrade. This means they would now be an independent agency. Allyson Brooks, the State Historic Preservation Officer, would become the department head. The legislation was to be signed on Monday and would go into effect 60 days after being signed. Commissioner Hall reported that he and Chair Waite attended the Historic Preservation Commissioner Conference in Olympia. They learned a lot of things and met a lot of people. The meetings were very formal and focused on what to do after a Commission has been established. He obtained good insight about what would happen when a lot of properties are being listed on the Register. He said it was interesting to learn what others saw as issues. One individual expressed that one of the biggest problems was that Commissioners do not understand what is in their by-laws. At the meeting, it was recommended that the chair of the commission write a yearly report to provide a succinct record of the year's work. He said a binder of information was provided to each of those in attendance, and he suggested that the materials be copied and distributed to the other Commissioners who were unable to attend. ADJOURNMENT The Commission meeting was adjourned at 5:21 p.m. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 12, 2005 Page 8