2005-08-11 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesHISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES
August 11, 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 Brian Hall
Deborah Binder
Barbara Kindness
Norma Bruns
Michael Plunkett (arrived late)
READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Approval of the June minutes was postponed to the next meeting.
STAFF PRESENT
Rob Chave, Planning and Development Services Manager
REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS FOR VACANT HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION POSITIONS
Mr. Chave reported that applications have been received for the two vacant Commission positions. He reminded them that
the code requires applicants to have some expertise or demonstrated background in preservation history. Of the five
applications received, only two met this qualification. The Commission discussed whether or not it would be appropriate to
review the other three applications, as well.
Chair Waite recalled that when new Commissioners have been appointed in the past, the Commission conducted personal
interviews with each applicant. He said that in addition to having a background in preservation history, it is also important
that the candidates are able to work well with others in the group. He suggested that perhaps the background requirement is
more subjective. Chair Waite pointed out that only the two professional positions must have experience in historic
preservation. The other three positions must only demonstrate an interest.
The Commission agreed that they would like to interview all five of the applicants at their next meeting on September 8d'.
Staff would provide the Commissioners with copies of all five applications before the next meeting.
Mr. Chave said there is nothing in the code that states the process for appointing new members to the Commission.
Commissioner Kindness suggested that as a future agenda item, the Commission could discuss and establish a procedure for
appointing new Commissioners. The remainder of the Commission concurred.
AUDIENCE COMMENTS
Dan Karagee said he is a resident of Edmonds and the Washington State Chairmen of a Historical Fraternal Order called the
Ancient E Clampus Vitus. He advised that the group was initially started as a gold minor's social club and became a
benevolent society in the 1870's to help the families of minors who were killed in mining accidents. It faded out at the turn
of the century and was revitalized in 1931 by a group of historians who decided that academia had become too stuffy and
they wanted to lighten it up a little bit. There are now 43 chapters throughout the west in California, Nevada, Arizona, New
Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. In addition, there are three outposts on the verge of becoming chapters in Western Washington,
Southern Oregon, and Southern Idaho. Their mission is to work with local historical societies and communities to preserve,
protect and promote the preservation of local history —especially the humorous or the unusual. They place plaques, help in
restoration projects, nominate for historical status, etc. They have helped with the Humble House at the Lynnwood Historic
Park and with the Bell Town Cottages Project in restoring the building that is now known as the Bell Town Community
Center. In addition, they did some structural work on the Black Diamond Museum. They are looking for projects and are
interested in lending support to groups that are working to preserve history. They can work on lobbying efforts, and they
have a lot of tradesman in the group that can do structural work, etc.
Commissioner Kindness asked that Mr. Karagee provide a brochure regarding his organization so that it could be added to
the Commission's website as a historic preservation resource.
NEW BUSINESS
Follow Up on Historic Preservation Commission Open House in July
Commissioner Binder asked if the City staff or other Commissioners received feedback from the community following the
open house. Mr. Chave said no applications have been submitted, but he does not know if anyone has contacted Ms.
Campbell with questions.
Chair Waite recalled that a few meetings ago, Commissioner Hall suggested that the Commission set a goal of contacting the
people who attended the open house. Commissioner Binder pointed out that the owners of the Reliable Floor Building
expressed interest in historic preservation. They had no idea that their property would be eligible for the Edmonds Register,
even though it has already been identified on the County's Register. She suggested that they should start by contacting the
property owners they know are seriously interested. Chair Waite suggested that they set a goal of meeting person to person
with a certain number of people per month.
Commissioner Kindness said she found the open house to be effective, and she would like the Commission to conduct
another open house in six months or so. This can help them broaden their audience and get more and more people interested
in historic preservation. Those who own houses on Third and Fourth Avenue were pleased to come to the open house and
see what's going on. She agreed that the Commission should review the list of attendees and contact those people that were
more interested.
Commissioner Binder suggested that one approach would be to send a letter to each of the attendees thanking them for
coming to the open house and asking them to contact the City if they are interested in having their properties listed on the
Edmonds Register of Historic Places. Then the Commission could contact each of them individually. Mr. Chave said staff
could mail out a letter to all of those in attendance, and Commissioner Kindness agreed to write the letter. Each of the
Commissioners made a commitment to contact three or four of the individuals to encourage them to get their properties listed
on the register and to obtain feedback on how successful the open house was. Commissioner Kindness commended the staff
for their great work in organizing and conducting the event.
Article Regarding Historic Preservation in THE PARADE MAGAZINE
Commissioner Binder reported that there was a recent article in THE PARADE MAGAZINE regarding historic preservation.
She advised that the National Trust is having a contest where local jurisdictions can nominate historic structures in their
community as something that should be cherished. She questioned if the City has a historic structure that could be submitted
to the contest. She pointed out that this is an opportunity to bring a great deal of publicity and awareness to the City, and
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there is no cost for nominating a structure. She expressed her concern that many of the City's historical structures are slowly
eroding, and it is important to get historic preservation in the minds of their citizens.
The Commission discussed that Edmonds was a working person's town and did not have any grand structures built early in
their history. They agreed that if Commissioner Kindness and Commissioner Binder could identify a structure for
nomination, they should move forward to meet the deadline. Commissioner Kindness said she could also include a statement
in the next news release indicating that the Commission made a nomination.
Report on the Commission's Participation in the Saturday Market
Commissioner Binder requested a report on the success of the Commission's booth at the Saturday Market. Commissioner
Kindness said that only one Commissioner indicated he could man the booth, so they were unable to set one up. She said she
would check to see if there would be other opportunities for the Commission to participate in the Saturday Market.
There was no unfinished business scheduled on the agenda.
NEW BUSINESS
Historic Items that Currentiv Exist at the Old Edmonds High School Site
Chair Waite reported that six weeks ago he, Commissioner LeWarne and Commissioner Marmion visited the Old Edmonds
High School site to identify items that have physical historical value. They created a list of items, which was forwarded to
Stephen Clifton. He further reported that he reviewed the list with representatives from the Public Facilities District and the
Edmonds Museum, and a request has been made to the general contractor to salvage the mailboxes. One of the fired glass
classroom doors would also be salvaged, along with two boiler pressure gauges and one of the classroom bells from a
hallway. In addition, the contractor has been asked to submit a proposal for how much it would cost to salvage the front
entry portico. The Edmonds Museum, the City of Edmonds and the Public Facilities District have all indicated a desire to
remove the entry portico and perhaps install it somewhere else on site as part of a pathway.
Chair Waite said he researched the abatement report that was submitted by the contractor. The bricks seem to be fine and
they do not have any measurable amounts of asbestos. The contractor has made a commitment to preserve many of them,
and they could potentially be part of the pathway and incorporated into the portico. However, they must find funding in
order for this to occur, and the Public Facilities District is working to locate funding sources.
Commissioner Kindness again suggested that perhaps the Historic Preservation Commission could use the mailboxes from
the school site as a fundraiser. This would enable them to fund their plaque program, etc. She advised that one idea would
be to use the mailboxes as keepsake boxes that could be sold to the general public. Chair Waite said there is a specific
process that must be followed when deciding what happens to all of the items in the existing building.
Grant Funding Opportunities for the Walking Tour Brochure
Commissioner Binder regretfully announced that the Commission did not receive a grant from Humanities Washington to
create a downtown walking tour brochure. She said she doesn't exactly understand why the Port's application was turned
down, but she plans to reapply for the grant in the near future. She would also like to pursue the option of contacting local
developers for small grants to aid in the production of a walking tour brochure. She pointed out that if the Commission does
not obtain additional funding, they could risk losing the money the Arts Commission has already offered.
Commissioner Binder said she has reviewed other grant opportunities, but has not been able to find one that would apply to
the Commission's situation and project. However, she advised that she received a scholarship from the Washington State
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Historic Preservation Office to attend the National Trust for Historic Preservation Meeting in Portland in September. She
plans to represent the Historic Preservation Commission at this event. Hopefully, she will be able to find more information
about local and national resources that are available. Commissioner Binder said she would also contact the State
Representative to find out if any new funding opportunities have come up. While the Commission does not need a lot of
money to complete their walking tour brochure, she would like the final product to be something enduring that can make a
contribution to the Commission's efforts.
Council Member Plunkett asked how long the Commission has to find additional funding before they are in danger of losing
the money that has been offered by the Edmonds Arts Commission. He said he thought the deadline was the end of 2005.
Commissioner Binder said she would find out when the deadline is, and whether or not it could be extended.
Identification Plagues for Prouerties Listed on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places
Commissioner Kindness asked if the Commission has identified a fixed cost for the plaques. Commissioner Binder said there
would be a huge market place at the convention she is going to attend in September. There would likely be a lot of plaque
vendors, and she could find out as much information as possible regarding plaques. Council Member Plunkett reminded the
Commission that Commissioner LeWarne had been working with the Snohomish County Historical Society to come up with
a good plaque program. He cautioned that the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission should probably not start an
entirely new program when there is already an organization in the community who has a program of this type. Chair Waite
said he visited a plaque company in Ballard to obtain a cost estimate for the plaques.
The Commission briefly discussed who would pay for the plaques. Commissioner Binder said most preservation
organizations require the property owners to pay for the plaques. Council Member Plunkett said that perhaps over time,
property owners would be willing to purchase their own plaques. They are working hard just to get property owners to apply
for the register. Therefore, he questioned if it would be to the Commission's advantage to ask them to pay for the plaques at
this time. He said he previously agreed to purchase the initial plaques. If the City's Register becomes popular enough in the
future, the property owners could be asked to purchase the plaques, instead.
Dan Karagee advised that his organization purchases the plaques for those who are on their list. He said he could share
information about their program with the Commissioners. He pointed out that more information regarding the historic
significance of each of the properties on the register should be provided to the community and visitors of Edmonds.
Commissioner Binder said that is definitely the Commission's intention, but they are just in the early stages of historic
preservation in Edmonds right now, and that is the purpose of creating a walking brochure of historic properties.
Chair Waite said the Commission's biggest challenge is to educate the public. Property owners believe that if they place
their properties on a register, their hands would be tied by City government regulations. He asked if Mr. Karagee's
organization has gone through this same experience. Mr. Karagee said that before they can place a plaque on a property, they
have to go through a lot of hoops with the building owners and the local jurisdictions, and this usually takes about a year to
complete.
A DISCUSSION OF LONG-TERM GOALS FOR THE COMMISSION
Mr. Chave suggested that once all of the new Commissioners have been appointed, the Commission should meet to establish
goals for the next year and get a work plan in place. He suggested that they review and revamp their subcommittee system as
part of this discussion. Council Member Plunkett reminded the Commission that a specific subcommittee (Commissioner
Hall) was set up to work on Commission goals and objectives. The Commission agreed with Mr. Chave that a work session
should be set up for the Commission to review the goals and objectives that are presented by Commissioner Hall. It was
agreed that Commissioner Hall would be asked to email his thoughts on the matter to each of the Commissioners, who would
respond in turn. That way much of the work could be done before the Commission's work session.
UPDATE ON POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS FOR THE EDMONDS REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
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Council Member Plunkett reminded the Commission that the Historic Register Subcommittee's purpose is to help property
owners get their properties on the register. They have worked with the Masons to get their building on the register. He asked
for a progress report from the subcommittee regarding the progress of this application. In addition, this subcommittee was
also working with Mr. Curtis, who had a house that could be listed on the Register. Commissioner Waite advised that he
visited with Mr. Curtis, and he and his wife were going to approach the County to obtain all of the relevant historic
information. It was noted that since both of the members have resigned from the Commission, the Historic Register
Subcommittee is in limbo. Chair Waite said he would contact Mr. Marmion to find out the status of the two applications.
The Commission agreed that they must do a better job of following up with individuals who express an interest in listing their
properties the register. It was agreed that new members should be appointed to the subcommittee and that the Historic
Register Subcommittee must be actively involved in a follow up effort.
Chair Waite he plans to begin the process of contacting the open house participants to introduce the concept of historic
preservation to them. He suggested the Commissioners should not wait for the property owners to come to them. They must
actively go out and pursue applications.
REVIEW OF NEXT MEETING'S PROPOSED AGENDA
Chair Waite reviewed that at the next meeting the Commission would interview each of the Planning Commission applicants.
After the interviews have been completed, the Commission could discuss the applications and make a recommendation to the
Mayor.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS
No additional comments were provided during this portion of the meeting.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION MEMBER COMMENT
None of the Commissioners provided additional comments during this portion of the meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 4:49 p.m.
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