2015-05-14 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
SUMMARY MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
May 14, 2015
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Chair Scott called the meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission to order at 5:30 p.m. in the 3rd Floor
Conference Room of City Hall, 121 — 5d' Avenue North. She read the Commission's mission statement.
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT
Emily Scott, Chair
Sandra Allbery
Katie Bojakowski
Eric Livingston (arrived at 5:33)
Tim Raetzloff
Gerry Tays
Dave Teitzel (left at 6:45)
Steve Waite
Kristiana Johnson, City Council Member (arrived at 6:15 p.m.)
Lora Petso, City Council Member
READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES
STAFF PRESENT
Rob Chave, Planning Manager
Diane Cunningham, Administrative Assistant
COMMISSIONERS ABSENT
Larry Vogel, Vice Chair
Chris Deiner-Karr
COMMISSIONER RAETZLOFF MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF APRIL 9, 2015 AS SUBMITTED.
COMMISSIONER ALLBERY SECONDED THE MOTION, WHICH CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
AGENDA ADDITIONS/CHANGES
An update on the North Sound Church was added to the agenda, and the presentation by Heather Burke was postponed. A
discussion about plaque presentations was also added to the agenda. The remainder of the agenda was approved as presented.
REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE
There was no one in the audience.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Registration Committee
Commissioner Raetzloff reported that he experimented with the document Commissioner Deiner-Karr prepared to outline the
process for researching historic properties. He said it worked well but noted that a few additional steps were needed. He
agreed to inform staff of the missing steps so the process outline could be updated and sent out again to the Commissioners.
Education and Outreach Committee
Commissioner Livingston said he is working to find historic information about the post office, particularly who the original
architect was. Chair Scott recommended he review the documentation provided by staff and contact Commissioners Deiner-
Karr, Tays and/or Vogel for additional information. Commissioner Waite suggested he also contact the United States
General Services Administration (GSA).
Preservation Planning Committee
The Commission briefly discussed their concern about the signage that was provided by the Arts Commission on the historic
properties along the 4th Avenue Cultural Corridor. They were particularly concerned that some of the signs are not highly
visible from the street. The Commission agreed to discuss the issue further at their next meeting, and finalize a proposal.
They asked Ms. Cunningham to forward each of them a copy of their most recent plan.
South Snohomish County Historical Society
Commissioner Allbery reported that she and Commissioner Deiner-Karr attended the Revitalize Washington Conference that
was held during the past week in Bellingham, Washington. At the event, Michael Houser, State Architectural Historian,
referred to a list of 1950's homes in Seattle, which includes some properties in Edmonds. He agreed to email her a copy of
the list. She said it was interesting to learn more about how the City of Bellingham used the Main Street Program to
revitalize its historic downtown.
Commissioner Allbery reported that the Museum's plaza project will start soon. They are currently selling bricks that will be
used in the project, and purchased bricks will feature names of people, organizations, etc. She also reported that the
Historical Society is planning for the 2016 Heritage Dinner, which will use a shorter format (no silent auction or speaker).
She advised that most of the Museum's larger artifacts have been transferred to its new storage facility, and the transfer
should be completed by June 1". Lastly, she reported that the Summer Market is full, and there are vendors on the waiting
list.
WEB UPDATES
It was noted that the Commission's website should be update to include Commissioner Tietzel on the list of Commissioners.
The Commission discussed the importance of using the City's system for all Commission -related emails, and Ms.
Cunningham agreed to follow up to get Commissioner Tietzel a City -assigned email address.
NEW BUSINESS
Uudate on North Sound Church
Commissioner Tietzel said he recently spoke with a pastor from the North Sound Church and addressed some of his concerns
about placing the building on the Edmonds Register of Historic Places. He indicated he is open to discussing the idea further,
and he invited him to make a presentation to the church elders in about a month. The pastor indictated supports history and
understands the reasons for placing the building on the Register, but he has to get agreement from his constituents. They are
focusing their efforts towards purchasing the Conference Center, and placing the church on the Register is a lower priority at
this time. Commissioner Raetzloff agreed to share the information he previously collected related to the church. For
Commissioner Tietzel's information, the Commission briefly reviewed the various benefits of placing the property on the
Register and discussed how to address the common misconceptions.
Historic Calendar for 2016
Chair Scott reported that she and Vice Chair Vogel have met a few times to discuss the 2016 Historic Calendar, and they
have created a drop box that is accessible to all Commissioners. Because 2016 is the City's 125"' anniversary, the calendar
will have a timeline theme. She invited Commissioners to participate by signing up to collect information on one of the
decades. She emphasized that all data that is submitted must be cited to ensure that dates are correct. She asked
Commissioner Allbery to provide dates for the 2016 activities of the South Snohomish County Historical Society as soon as
possible. She said she is hoping to have a very rough draft of the calendar ready by July. The following assignments were
made:
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1921 - 1930
— Commissioner Bojakowski
1941 - 1950
— Commissioner Tays
1951 - 1960 —
Commissioner Allbery
1961 - 1970 —
Commissioner Waite
The Commission agreed that the properties on the Register should be included in the appropriate timeline, and it was noted
that it would be appropriate to seek approval from the owners before including pictures of their properties in the calendar.
Plaque Presentations
Commissioner Tays reminded the Commission that a plaque ceremony for the Schumacher Building is scheduled for June 2" a
at 10:00 a.m., and Mayor Earling will be present. The plaque ceremony for the Profitt/Astell House is scheduled for June
11'h at 10:00 a.m. He agreed to contact the property owners and occupants to reaffirm the dates. Chair Scott agreed to arrive
to the ceremonies early and make contact with the property owners. She also agreed to contact Vice Chair Vogel about doing
press releases for the events, and Commissioners were encouraged to attend.
No unfinished business was scheduled on the agenda.
ACTION ITEMS
Discussion on Proposed Survey Areas
Mr. Chave referred to a written update of the consultant's work to date on the survey. He summarized that they are working
to identify sites that meet the requirements of the survey before they start collecting more details about the properties. The
information the City receives from the consultant will be entered into the State's database, and a formal presentation of the
final report will be presented to the Commission. The timeline for the project identifies an end date of August.
Commissioner Bojakowski asked if the survey would include some of the public works sites identified earlier by the
Commission, and Mr. Chave answered that the survey would include mostly structures. The Commission requested that staff
provide them with the list of properties included in the study as soon as possible. They discussed that there might be other
grant opportunities the City could pursue that would enable them to add additional properties to the consultant's scope of
work.
Continued Discussion on Strateeic Action Plan
The Commission discussed the proposed amendments to the Strategic Action Plan, which were prepared by Commissioner
Waite. It was noted that most of the changes are not substantive. They made some additional editorial changes and assigned
Commissioners Bojakowski and Allbery to serve on the Preservation Planning Committee and Commissioner Tietzel to serve
on the Education and Outreach Committee. They specifically discussed and agreed to maintain their goal of adding three
properties to the Register each year. Ms. Cunningham agreed to send them each a list of the properties for which
nominations have already been started, and they discussed the best approach for contacting the property owners about placing
their properties on the Register.
COMMMISSIONER RAETZLOFF MOVED THAT THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE STRATEGIC
ACTION PLAN BE FORWARDED TO THE CITY COUNCIL, AS AMENDED, WITH A RECOMMENDATION
OF APPROVAL. COMMISSIONER LIVINGSTON SECONDED THE MOTION, WHICH CARRIED
UNANIMOUSLY.
Mr. Chave explained that the proposed amendments would be presented to the Council, along with the Commission's
recommendation for adoption. Mr. Chave briefly reviewed that not only does the Strategic Plan serve as a guide for the
Commission's work, it is extremely helpful to have an up-to-date Strategic Plan in place when the City applies for grant
opportunities.
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HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION CHAIR COMMENTS
Chair Scott thanked the Commissioners for attending and participating in the meeting.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
Commissioner Allbery invited Commissioners to contact her if they want to purchase a high -visibility brick for the Museum
Plaza.
Council Member Petso reported that she and Council Member Johnson are scheduled to meet with the Development Services
Director next week to begin to roadmap the downtown historic district concept as a Council priority. She invited the
Commissioners to share their thoughts with her via email or by phone. Mr. Chave indicated that he was invited to attend the
meeting, as well, to add his knowledge to the discussion.
Council Member Johnson said that as part of the 1st Quarter Budget Amendments, the City Council carried forward the
brochure money. She encouraged them to move forward with the project as soon as possible.
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The meeting was adjourned at 7:02 p.m.
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