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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutesCITY OF OSHKOSH LANDMARKS COMMISSION Minutes January 81', 2020 PRESENT: Shirley Brabender Mattox, Paul Arnold, Nikki Stoll Olthoff, Steve Cummings EXCUSED: Andrew Smith ABSENT: Elizabeth Hintz, Matt Mugerauer STAFF AND OTHERS: Steven Wiley, Mike Karrels, Gerald Jacklin 1. Call to Order Chair Brabender Mattox called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. and a quorum was declared present. 2. Approval of October 9t'' 2019 Meeting Minutes Ms. Brabender Mattox asked the Commission if there were any revisions for the October meeting minutes. The Commission voted 4-0 to approve the minutes (Stoll Olthoff/Cummings). 3. Smith School - Boulder and Plaque - Discussion This item was shifted to after Item 5 out of respect for Mr. Karrels' time. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked Mr. Wiley for an explanation regarding this item. Mr. Wiley explained that a concerned resident wanted to discuss the boulder and plaque that were on the Smith School property. The resident was not sure what would happen to the boulder and plaque with the sale and reuse of the former Smith School. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked Mr. Wiley who the resident was that brought the item to the Commission. Mr. Wiley replied that he did not have her name in front of him but that he had her name and contact information in his notes. Ms. Brabender Mattox explained that the plaque was donated by students and teachers to commemorate land for a playground for Smith School. Mr. Cummings asked if the plaque and boulder were part of the discussion during the sale. Ms. Brabender Mattox answered that she believed they were part of the sale. She stated that she would contact Tim Hess, who was one of the investors involved with the project. Mr. Wiley stated that he would follow up with the concerned resident. 4. Grand Opera House Interior Modifications - Discussion This item was shifted to after Item 5 out of respect for Mr. Karrels' time. Mr. Wiley explained that Jane Cryan had raised the concern regarding the new television screens recently mounted to the base of the proscenium arch in the Grand Opera House. Mr. Cummings stated he was currently on the Grand Opera House board and that he was not aware of the screens. Mr. Cummings stated that he had made it clear to the committee that everything concerning the Grand building must go through Landmarks. Mr. Wiley stated that Ms. Cryan had asked him to follow up with Joe Ferlo regarding the screens and ask who authorized them, how long they had been up and what content they displayed. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked Mr. Wiley to follow up with Ms. Cryan. She and a few other Commissioners weighed in and suggested that Ms. Cryan speak with Joe Ferlo directly regarding her concerns before the Commission took up the item. Mr. Wiley stated that he would follow up with Ms. Cryan. 5. 1057 Algoma Blvd. — Proposed Addition — Mike and Tom Karrels - Discussion Mr. Karrels provided a brief introduction and explained that he had completed his graduate degree in architecture at the University of Wisconsin -Milwaukee. He was now in business with his father Tom Karrels in Oshkosh. He then presented the project he was working on at the Beede residence at 1057 Algoma Boulevard. The project would consist of demolishing the existing 2-car garage and replacing it with a new, enlarged garage addition. Mr. Karrels explained that he had conducted much research, surveying and related work for the home. He showed the Commission his concept and explained some of the architectural characteristics such as the belly coursing that ran around the exterior facades. The garage addition was designed to tie into the existing home and was similar to the Lutz Mansion. Mr. Karrels stated that the roof would use similar tiles to the home and rafter dove tails where the edges of each rafter differed slightly in pitch and size to allow the installation and slope of gutters. Ms. Stoll Olthoff asked if information existed on the garage's construction date. Mr. Wiley checked the Assessor's page and 1920 was the default date shown. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked if previous owners Dickson -Robinson had the drawings for the property. Mr. Karrels stated that they did not. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked if Mr. Karrels connected with the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison. Mr. Karrels stated that he had not. Ms. Brabender Mattox recommended State Preservation Architect Mark Buechel as someone from which to seek input. Commissioners asked how the new garage compared with the current one in size. Mr. Karrels showed sheet A0.1 of his drawing set which compared the size of the previous garage with the new garage. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked if the owners would consider applying for Historic Tax credits for the project. Mr. Karrels stated that he did not believe the owner intended to apply. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked for suggestions from the Commission. Ms. Stoll Olthoff asked what the timeline was for the project. Mr. Karrels stated that the owner was moving slowly with the project so possibly 2020 or maybe later. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked about trees on the site. Mr. Karrels showed the trees on the site plan. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked Mr. Karrels to connect with Mark Buechel and Joe DeRose from the Wisconsin Historical Society for input on the project. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that Bev Harrington worked at the Hearthstone Museum and Todd Clark was an architect. She recommended both to Mr. Karrels. Mr. Karrels asked about the approval process for the project. Mr. Wiley explained that staff would review the proposed addition to ensure that it complied with the design standards in the zoning ordinance, setbacks and maximum impervious surface area for the property. After discussion the Commissioners agreed that they would support the project contingent on Mr. Karrels speaking with Mark Buechel and Joe DeRose of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Mr. Cummings stated that he applauded the owner for looking to do the project in a historically -sensitive manner. Mr. Karrels and the Commission thanked one another and Mr. Karrels left at this point. 6. Building Permit Review a.1200 Washington Avenue The Commission discussed the building permits from October and November of 2019. For 1249 Merritt Avenue, Ms. Brabender Mattox mentioned the issues with replacement windows and potential loss of historic integrity depending on window type. She also mentioned the Frank Lloyd Wright home at 1165 Algoma Boulevard and the garage demolition the owners had planned for this property. Mr. Wiley stated that he had photographed the garage and submitted the required documentation to the state. The state had waived the 30-day waiting period for demolitions but the garage appeared to remain on the property when Mr. Wiley went by recently. For 1200 Washington Avenue, Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that she had contacted the owner about historic tax credits and that the owner was planning to use the tax credits. The owner filled out the required paperwork and would potentially work with Terry Laib. 7. 2019 Annual Report — Discussion/Action The Commission discussed the draft of the 2019 Annual Report Mr. Wiley had prepared. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked about making the website and Facebook links at the bottom of each page larger. Commissioners commented on the "Other Agency Coordination and Assistance" page. For the first bullet point on the page, where it mentioned "assisted with hosting the 2019 WAHPC Conference in Oshkosh on April 12,11", Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that this was the Wisconsin Historical Society CAMP. Commissioners asked Mr. Wiley to add to the page that Landmarks had helped educate mural painters in 2019. For the "907 Washington Avenue" page, Ms. Brabender Mattox suggested adding an actual photograph of the home. For the "Building Permit Review Program" page, Ms. Brabender Mattox asked Mr. Wiley to update the building permit lists shown on the page. For the "Public Outreach" page Ms. Brabender Mattox asked that Mr. Wiley clarify that Staff and Commissioners provided information on the Commission's work at the State of the City event. For the Chief Oshkosh Signage item on the same page, Mr. Cummings asked Mr. Wiley to double check Menominee Tribal Chairman Douglas Cox's title. For the Acanthus Awards for the Riverside Chapel, the Commissioners asked Mr. Wiley to acknowledge the late Harold Buchholz, who was the Commissioner that helped with this award. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that she would follow up with Mr. Wiley on additional edits and help finish up the report. 8. Chief Oshkosh — Steve Cummings — Update The Commission discussed the proposed Chief Oshkosh signage that was intended for around the Chief Oshkosh statue. The proposed signage consisted of five plaques with drafts prepared by a group from UW-Oshkosh working in tandem with Commissioner and former Mayor Steve Cummings along with the Menominee Nation. Ms. Brabender Mattox explained that she had read the five plaque drafts and that she thought the first four plaques were historical and well written. She stated that she had concerns with the language of the fifth plaque and that she could not support the plaque as written. Mr. Cummings stated that the language in the fifth plaque draft was all true. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that though this was the case, she thought that the language could be reworded. As written, she believed it would garner pushback from readers. She stated that the intent of the signage should not be to hit the reader with language that condemned the statue, plaque and past generations. She explained that it was possible that in fifty years people would look at the plaques installed in the present day with a different lens than people in the present day. Ms. Stoll Olthoff stated that she believed the fifth plaque could be reworded but that the topics addressed in the text were worth discussing. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that she was planning to meet with City Manager Mark Rohloff to discuss the signage. She believed that the first four plaques were for the tribe to write and that the fifth was for the citizens of Oshkosh. She wanted readers to have a positive experience in the park. Mr. Cummings stated that there were concerns that the language was too long and written at too highly of a level for many readers. Ms. Brabender Mattox explained that she did not have concerns with the language because she believed that younger readers would still walk away with the main points. She stated that readers would approach the signs at one age and could revisit theirs at later points and learn new things. 9. Historic Preservation Plan - Steven Wiley - Update Mr. Wiley provided an update on the Preservation Plan. He explained that he was trying to schedule another planning workshop and that he had Thursday, January 23rd or Thursday, January 30f in mind. A number of Commissioners expressed preference for the January 23rd date so Mr. Wiley stated that he would work on scheduling for this date. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked Mr. Wiley to send out an email to confirm the date. Ms. Stoll Olthoff stated that she could work on putting together a list of Commission goals and objectives for the workshop. 10. Lakeshore Historic Site - Discussion Mr. Cummings stated that there was interest in placing signage along the riverfront and ending at Rainbow Memorial Park. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that she was waiting to get the archeological report from the Wisconsin Historical Society. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that she would follow up on this. 11. Social Media - Discussion/Action The Commission discussed social media and Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that the Facebook page was important. There were over 300 followers and Ms. Brabender Mattox had explained that she sent Mr. Wiley some material to post. She emphasized that regular activity on the page was important especially with more followers. She stated that Commissioners should refer material for posting to Mr. Wiley. Mr. Wiley asked Commissioners to send him material and stated that this made it easier for him. He explained that a similar arrangement he had with the Sustainability Board worked very well. One board member would originate material and posts and Mr. Wiley would post the month's material for the month. 12.217 High Avenue - Update Ms. Brabender Mattox explained that she asked Mr. Wiley to place this item on the agenda so the Commission had closure on it. She provided some background and explained that the owner and manager had come to Landmarks a number of times and ended up vinyl siding the house. Ms. Brabender Mattox wanted to inform the Commission of this so they were aware of how this project ended. Mr. Cummings had to leave at this point so the meeting adjourned after discussion concluded on this item at 4:54 pm (Arnold/Stoll Olthoff). 13. 303 Washington Avenue (Corbett House) - Update This item was not discussed as part of the agenda due to loss of quorum and adjournment. 14. Wisconsin Certified Local Government (CLG) Historic Preservation Commissions 2019 Report - Shirley Brabender Mattox - brochure in packets This item was not discussed as part of the agenda due to loss of quorum and adjournment. 15. Commissioner Statements a. 404 W. New York Avenue: Local Landmarking - Shirley Brabender Mattox/Rich Green b. WAHPC Conference - Update - Paul Arnold & Shirley Brabender Mattox c. Feedback on Landmarks Website Stats - Steven Wiley d. Winnebago County Historic and Archeological Society (WCHAS) 100 Years - Update - Steve Cummings No items in Commissioner Statements were discussed as part of the agenda due to loss of quorum and adjournment. 16. Agenda Items for Next Meeting (February 12111, 2020: 3 PM in City Hall Room 203) Ongoing items such as the Building Permit Review, Historic Preservation Plan, Lakeshore site and Chief Oshkosh signage would remain on the agenda. Any other items that Commissioners brought forward or came up would go on the agenda. 2020 Acanthus Awards would also be on the agenda. 17. Adjournment Mr. Arnold made a motion to adjourn and Ms. Stoll Olthoff seconded. Meeting adjourned at 4:54 pm (4- 0). Recorded by: Steven Wiley, Assistant Planner