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2013-01-10 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION SUMMARY MINUTES OF WORKSHOP MEETING January 10, 2013 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Chair Vogel called the meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission to order at 5:38 p.m. in the 3'`i Floor Conference Room of City Hall, 121 — 5' Avenue North. He read the Commission's mission statement. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Steve Waite, Vice Chair Andy Eccleshall Tim Raetzloff Emily Scott (arrived at 5:50 p.m.) Gerry Tays Kristiana Johnson, City Council Member COMMISSIONERS ABSENT Larry Vogel, Chair (excused) Christine Deiner-Karr (excused) Lora Petso, City Council Member (excused) READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES STAFF PRESENT Rob Chave, Planning Division Manager Diane Cunningham, Administrative Assistant OTHERS PRESENT COMMISSIONER ECCLESHALL MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF DECEMBER 13, 2012 AS AMENDED. COMMISSIONER RAETZLOFF SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. AGENDA ADDITIONS/CHANGES The Commission added a discussion of the 2014 Calendar under "Action Items." The remainder of the agenda was accepted as presented. REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE There was no one in the audience. COMMITTEE REPORTS Registration Committee The Registration Committee did not provide a report. Education and Outreach Committee The Education and Outreach Committee did not provide a report. Preservation Planning Committee The Preservation Planning Committee did not provide a report. Funding Committee The Funding Committee did not provide a report. It was noted that none of the current Commissioners have been assigned to serve on the Funding Committee. Ms. Cunningham provided a status report on the revenues and expenses associated with the 2013 calendar account. OTHER REPORTS Commissioner Goals Vice Chair Waite invited each of the Commissioners to share their thoughts on what they would personally like to achieve or what they would like the Commission to achieve in 2013: Commissioner Tays — He would like the Commission to provide information to owners of property on the Register, as well as other owners of historic properties about how they can maintain their structures while retaining their historic character. This could be done in the form of a written list of resources or through Commission sponsored workshops to demonstrate how various restoration projects can be done. He suggested this project be assigned to the Education and Outreach Committee, of which he is a member. The Commission discussed what should be included on the list, as well as ideas for getting the information out to interested property owners. Commissioner Tays agreed to prepare additional information for the Commission to review at their next meeting. • Commissioner Raetzloff — He would like to learn more about being a Commissioner and how he can help people add their properties to the Register. He recalled that he recently volunteered to become the Commission's liaison with the Edmonds Museum. It was discussed that some property owners on Sunset Avenue have expressed an interest in adding their properties to the Register, and the Registration Committee was asked to meet during the next month to discuss the best way to approach the property owners and move the nominations forward. • Commissioner Eccleshall — The Commission should refocus on their mission to get properties on the Register. They should refer to the updated survey to identify potential properties to pursue. • Commissioner Scott — Rather than spending too much time on raising funds, the Commission should focus on their mission of getting properties on the Register. In addition, they should hold a work meeting to train all Commissioners on how to nominate properties for the Register so they are all qualified to work with property owners. The Commission agreed it would be appropriate to have a training meeting regarding the registration process. • Council Member Johnson — The Commission should focus on educating the public about the benefits of historic preservation and adding properties to the Register. The Registration Committee could outline the registration process and then education the entire Commission so that everyone is knowledgeable and can participate in the work. The outline should also provide ideas for approaching property owners and addressing their common concerns and misconceptions. • Mr. Chave — It is better to focus on a few things and do them well. Too much emphasis on subcommittee assignments can result in people heading in too many different directions. Sometimes it is better to focus on big projects as a group. • Vice Chair Waite — Rather than spreading themselves too thin, the Commission should focus on their mission of getting properties on the Register. In the past, there have been too many projects and not enough time and resources to accomplish the tasks. The Commission should also focus on adding properties, other than structures, to the Register. The Commission discussed that owners of properties already on the Register are their biggest assets. Rather than trying to sell the monetary benefits of being on the Register to potential property owners, it is important to point out that being on the Register is an honor and carries a sense of community pride. One idea would be to sponsor an annual event to not only provide information and support to owners of property already on the Register, but also invite them to share their thoughts Historic Preservation Commission Minutes January 10, 2013 Page 2 and encourage others to join. They also discussed other ways to involve owners of properties on the Register in the process of nominating new properties. NEW BUSINESS Vacant Commission Positions The Commission discussed that they currently have seven Commissioners, and their bylaws allow up to twelve voting members (including one representative from the Edmonds Museum). They spent some time discussing the appropriate number of Commissioners. They also discussed the idea of creating a formal procedure for selecting new members. They agreed to wait until the current Commissioners have been fully trained before adding new members. New Properties for Historic Register Commissioner Eccleshall reported that property owners at 731 Main Street (built in 1910) have expressed a desire to add their home to the Register. However, he and Ms. Cunningham have been unable to get in touch with them. Former Commissioner Norenberg spoke with the property owners initially and has agreed to approach them again on behalf of the Commission. There was no unfinished business. ACTION ITEMS Discussion of 2014 Calendar Mr. Chave announced that the City received a $6,000 grant for the 2014 calendar project. He briefly reviewed the schedule the Commission is committed to follow as per the grant. He specifically noted that a mock-up draft of the calendar must be completed by mid May. He suggested that "registered properties" should be the theme of the 2014 calendar. COMMISSIONER SCOTT MOVED THAT THE THEME FOR THE 2014 CALENDAR BE "REGISTERED PROPERTIES." COMMISSIONER ECCLESHALL SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The Commission discussed that properties that are added to the Register within the next few months could be included in the 2014 calendar. Commissioner Eccleshall agreed to contact property owners on Sunset Avenue who have already expressed an interest in adding their properties to the Register. HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS Chair Waite did not provide any comments during this portion of the meeting. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONER COMMENTS The Commission discussed ideas for selling the remaining calendars. They agreed to sell the calendars outside of the Council Chambers prior to City Council Meetings, and Commissioner Scott agreed to organize those events. The Commission agreed that their next meeting should focus primarily on training Commissioners on the registration process, as discussed earlier. In addition, Commissioner Eccleshall agreed to have a rough mock up of the calendar available for the Commission's review at the next meeting. The Commission also agreed to have a brief discussion to solidify the priorities for the remainder of the year, including a special event in May. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:03 p.m. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes January 10, 2013 Page 3