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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: Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 14, 2015 Page 2 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. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 14, 2015 Page 3 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. I"L111J 111u 11401" The meeting was adjourned at 7:02 p.m. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes May 14, 2015 Page 4