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2009-12-10 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION SUMMARY MINUTES December 10, 2009 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Eccleshall called the meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission to order at 4:32 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Conference Room of City Hall, 121 — 5th Avenue North. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Andy Eccleshall, Chair Larry Vogel, Vice Chair Jennifer Anttila Sue Bauer Alan Macfarlane Eric Norenberg Steve Waite COMMISSIONERS ABSENT Christine Deiner-Karr (excused) Michael Plunkett READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES STAFF PRESENT Diane Cunningham, Planning and Dev. Services GUESTS Mayor Haakenson John Dewhirst Dan Kerege Paul Lippert COMMISSIONER BAUER MOVED THE COMMISSION APPROVE THE MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 12, 2009 AS SUBMITTED. CHAIR ECCLESHALL SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA No changes were made to the agenda. PRESENTATION BY MAYOR Mayor Haakenson presented a plaque to Dan Kerege in recognition of his service on the Historic Preservation Commission. He also thanked the entire Commission for their volunteer work. He said the City is fortunate to have so many people who want to help make the City a better place. Mr. Kerege expressed appreciation for the opportunity he had to serve on the Commission. He said his commitment to historic preservation would continue. REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE Paul Lippert said he and his wife own one of the oldest structures in Edmonds (1520 - 9th Avenue North), and they have been pondering their options for listing their property on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. He provided historic photographs of the house, which they are in the process of renovating. COMMITTEE REPORTS Registration Committee Commissioner Bauer reported that the Registration Committee has asked City staff to help them work through a process for implementing an easement program that would offer a Federal tax credit to owners of properties on the Register. She noted this option could be particularly applicable for the property located at 555 Main Street. Education and Outreach Committee Chair Eccleshall reported that he and Vice Chair Vogel presented plaques to owners of the newest properties on the Register (Railroad Foreman's House and the house at 533 — 3rd Avenue South). They took photographs of the event and a press release was published. Chair Eccleshall reported that he toured the Railroad Foreman's House and visited with the property owners. The house was built well, and it is no wonder the structure survived two moves. Vice Chair Vogel reported that the Preservation Planning Committee is working on the next edition of THE PRESERVATIONIST, which will feature the Railroad Foreman's House. He and Chair Eccleshall would work together to finish the document and get it ready for publication. He further announced that he would be making some housekeeping edits to the Commission's website. Preservation Planning Committee Commissioner Waite advised that he has met with Susan Blalock, who is working to preserve the property at 555 Main Street. Ms. Blalock has identified future plans for the structure, and he agreed to work with the City to obtain a Change of Use Permit. He noted the permit would be required for any type of use other than residential. Chair Eccleshall recalled the Commission previously discussed the idea of asking the City Council to waive permit fees for properties on the Register. He said he requested an update from the staff regarding the issue, but he has not received a response. Commissioner Bauer noted that this item has not yet been placed on the City Council's agenda. Chair Eccleshall agreed to pursue the issue further. Edmonds South Snohomish Countv Historical Socie Mr. MacFarlane announced that the Museum's Christmas decorations have been replaced with more appropriate historical decorations. Their current show has lots of toys, trucks, airplanes, and many more fascinating displays. The camera display is still up and has been one of the Museum's best. In April, May and June, the Museum will host a Northwest Indian Display, with totem poles, carving demonstrations, acoustic music groups, and more. He summarized they are trying to provide displays that match the interests of the visitors, but always with a historic flair. Mr. MacFarlane reported that the Society received a grant to cover 1/3 of the cost of the new cabinets and shatter -proof glass replacement. The glass window to the old Edmonds Olympic Hotel Room at the northeast corner of the downstairs museum was the last display to be updated. They will not have any more glass problems in the future. NEW BUSINESS Election of 2010 Chair and Vice Chair COMMISSIONER ANTTILA MOVED THAT ANDY ECCLESHALL CONTINUE TO SERVE AS CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION IN 2010 AND THAT LARRY VOGEL CONTINUE TO SERVE AS VICE CHAIR. COMMISSIONER WAITE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes December 10, 2009 Page 2 Discussion of Preservation Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Time The Commission discussed the possibility of changing their meeting time. They agreed to continue to start their meetings at 4:30 p.m. and discuss the issue again at a later date. Fundraising Ideas for Plaques/Discussion of Grant Ideas Chair Eccleshall agreed to meet with the City's Finance Department staff to figure out how much money is left from their previous fundraising effort. He noted that there are only seven plaques remaining, and the original cost was about $450 each. Ms. Cunningham agreed to get an updated price quote for additional plaques. Chair Eccleshall also agreed to pursue the Commission's request that the City Council provide some additional funding for plaques. They asked Ms. Cunningham to contact the plaque company and find out if the City owns the mold that was used to cast the plaques or if they could purchase it. The Commission could then approach local companies in an attempt to get a better price. Art Commission Collaboration with Commission and Historical Society on 4th Avenue Interim Proiect Chair Eccleshall reported that he met recently with Francis Chapin, who is concerned about the lack of funding to implement the 0' Avenue Corridor Project. She has suggested the Commission and Historical Society collaborate with the City on some temporary placements along 4th Avenue that would provide information about specific buildings and the area in general. The goal is to provide visual interest to keep people moving down 4th Avenue and to keep the corridor plan alive. John Dewhirst recalled that, at an earlier time, the Arts Commission had offered to fund some temporary banners to hang on the poles. The plan also calls for new lighting on 4th Avenue, but this would be a costly project. Chair Eccleshall agreed to discuss the banner option with Ms. Chapin. He said Ms. Chapin will be looking for ideas from the Commission and Historical Society about possible content for the temporary placements. Ms. Cunningham pointed out that letters from the Commission were sent out to property owners on 4th Avenue. It was noted that none of the property owners have provided responses or raised questions. New PYODerty Nominations Chair Eccleshall recommended the Commission work on another group of nominations for the Register, which could include the Frances Anderson Center and perhaps the 10 remaining properties on 4th Avenue that were identified on the BOLA Report. Commissioner Bauer reminded the Commission that they made the decision not to send nominations to the City Council without owner consent. They agreed the best approach is to send notification to property owners announcing that their property has been nominated and attaching the consent form for them to sign and return if they want to add their property to the Register. The Commission agreed it would be appropriate to wait to see what response they get from the first letter they sent to property owners on 4th Avenue before sending out a nomination letter. They agreed it would be appropriate to follow up with each of the property owners who have not responded to the first letter. However, Chair Eccleshall cautioned against postponing the nomination process until they have received feedback from each of the property owners. They agreed to identify the property owners who have not responded at their January meeting. The Commissioners could then identify a plan for contacting the property owners again and reporting back to the Commission in February. Commissioner Bauer suggested that perhaps the Commission hold a retreat to discuss and identify the best process for contacting owners of historic properties and providing clarifying information about the benefits of being on the Register. The Commission agreed a retreat discussion would be appropriate, but they need to gather more information first about the benefits to and requirements of property owners on the Register. Commissioner Bauer agreed to research the topic more and provide additional information regarding this topic at the January meeting. The Commission agreed to think about which properties should be included in the next round of nominations. Chair Eccleshall suggested that each of the Commissioners could be assigned a specific property to pursue. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes December 10, 2009 Page 3 Structure for New Committees The Commission discussed the concept of replacing the existing committees or establishing task force groups to focus on specific issues the Commission is working on. They discussed having a retreat discussion to solidify their 2010 goals and then form task groups to focus on specific issues the Commission is working on. The Commission agreed to schedule a retreat to talk about 2010 Commission goals, priorities and committee assignments and educate the Commission about the requirements, obligations and benefits associated with properties on the Register. They agreed to set a date for the retreat at their next meeting. Ms. Cunningham reminded the Commission that whenever a group of Commissioners meets, the meeting must be advertised if a quorum of members will be present. BOLA Expansion Chair Eccleshall recalled that the Commission previously divided the City into areas and provided maps to each of the Commissioners. Their assignment was to drive through the areas and make note of interesting properties from a historical standpoint. The purpose of this exercise was to identify properties they want surveyed in the future when funding is available to expand the BOLA Report. He suggested that as the Commissioners identify potential historic properties, they can obtain property information from the Snohomish County Assessor's Website. He challenged the Commissioners to complete their assignments within the next few months. ACTION ITEMS The Preservationist This item was discussed earlier on the agenda. HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS Chair Eccleshall did not provide any comments during this portion of the meeting. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONER COMMENTS None of the Commissioners provided comments. ADJOURNMENT The Commission meeting was adjourned at 5:50 p.m. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes December 10, 2009 Page 4