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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutesCITY OF OSHKOSH LANDMARKS COMMISSION Minutes March 11th, 2020 PRESENT: Shirley Brabender Mattox, Paul Arnold, Nikki Stoll Olthoff, Steve Cummings, Gerald Jacklin EXCUSED: Matt Mugerauer ABSENT: Elizabeth Hintz, Andrew Smith STAFF AND OTHERS: Steven Wiley, Jeremy Lueck 1. Call to Order Vice Chair Arnold called the meeting to order at 3:06 p.m. and a quorum was declared present. 2. Approval of February 121h, 2020 Meeting Minutes Mr. Arnold asked the Commission if there were any revisions for the February meeting minutes. No Commissioners had any changes so the Commission approved the minutes as written 4-0 (Cummings/Stoll Olthoff). 3. 831 Washington Avenue - Rehabilitation Work - Jeremy Lueck - Discussion This item shifted to after discussion on Item 7 because Mr. Lueck was not yet at the meeting. Mr. Wiley explained that Mr. Lueck and he had discussed the proposed work on phone calls during the past few weeks. A significant amount of work was proposed and Mr. Lueck was willing to come to the Commission meeting for input. Mr. Lueck arrived and introduced himself. Mr. Wiley asked Mr. Lueck to explain the work he and the owners of the property had planned. Mr. Lueck stated that the windows were previously replaced with vinyl windows and that some of the work in his scope was window replacements with aluminum -trimmed wood windows. Additional work involved residing the house with an LP Smart siding. Mr. Arnold asked if the siding choice was his choice or the owner's. Mr. Lueck answered that the owner chose the siding. Mr. Arnold and Ms. Brabender Mattox explained that the texture of the chosen siding was not similar to the texture of historic siding. Mr. Lueck replied that the owners wanted a product that was not wood due to maintenance concerns. Mr. Arnold asked Mr. Lueck what the track record of the LP Smart Siding was. Mr. Lueck answered that he had used the siding option for 20 years. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked if the owners were applying for tax credits. Mr. Lueck replied that the owners were not seeking tax credits. Mr. Lueck explained that the windows proposed for the home were Pella windows. Ms. Brabender Mattox mentioned that for windows, owners should determine the next best option if the original windows were no longer present. Mr. Lueck stated that the owners had decided on Pella windows. He added that they were replacing the soffit and fascia (now aluminum) and would refinish the front porch. The work would also involve taking off the sunroom and constructing a new addition on the same footprint. The owners intended to remove the current garage and construct a larger garage. Ms. Stoll Olthoff asked if the owners would keep the front porch features. Mr. Lueck answered affirmatively. He explained that he would keep railings on the porch, replace metal with wood, etc. Mr. Arnold stated that the new garage doors were an improvement on the previous doors. Ms. Stoll Olthoff asked if the windows for the home would be installed as depicted. Mr. Lueck replied affirmatively. Mr. Arnold stated that he hoped Mr. Lueck was not replacing the leaded windows on the home. Mr. Lueck replied that he was not. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked what muntin patterns were appropriate. Mr. Arnold replied that if Mr. Lueck had an image, it would be worth more than opinions. Ms. Brabender Mattox asked if storm windows would be there. Mr. Lueck and Mr. Arnold answered that the windows would not have storms. Mr. Jacklin asked if the patterns on the porch columns were universal and available. Mr. Arnold answered that the Old House Journal advertised them. Ms. Brabender Mattox commended Mr. Lueck and the owners for trying to improve the house beyond its existing condition. She mentioned the project Terry Laib was working on at 907 Washington Avenue. Mr. Lueck stated that he was the general contractor on the project. Mr. Arnold asked where Mr. Lueck was based. Mr. Lueck answered that he was based in De Pere. Ms. Stoll Olthoff stated that the owners of 831 Washington Avenue could reach out to the Commission. Mr. Lueck asked what the next steps were. Mr. Wiley explained that he would work with Mr. Lueck on the zoning approval and notifying the state of the proposed demolition. The Commission thanked Mr. Lueck for coming in and he thanked them. Mr. Lueck left at this point. 4. 2020 Acanthus Awards — Discussion/Action The Commission discussed the potential nominees for 2020. There were three potential nominees for awards. Mr. Arnold stated that he had visited the church that was on the list of potential nominees. He was not able to determine the owner. Mr. Wiley opened up past permits and cases for the property and provided Mr. Arnold with the owner's information. Mr. Arnold stated that he had seen an image of the church from long ago in one of the windows of the church. He stated that he would reach out to the owner and see if the owner was open to receiving an award. Ms. Brabender Mattox suggested that Mr. Arnold mention that there were only a few awards on the south side. Ms. Stoll Olthoff suggested that Mr. Wiley create a post on Facebook the next day seeking nominations and give the public a few weeks to submit. She suggested that Mr. Wiley use a strong image for the Facebook post. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that the Commission would likely present the Acanthus Awards on the 2611, of May. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated to ask the public to get the name of the property, the address and project to the Commission. Mr. Arnold cautioned that the Commission should consider the fact that members of the public could nominate properties with expectations that their nominees receive awards. He stated that the Commission would still have to vet nominees and determine if the work conducted was appropriate. Therefore, nominees were not guaranteed awards. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that the Commission could vote on potential nominees at its April meeting and that Commissioners should submit materials to Mr. Wiley by March 31yt. Ms. Stoll Olthoff stated that she would work with Mr. Wiley on the Facebook post. 5. Grand Opera House Interior Modifications — Direction from Commission to Staff - Action Mr. Wiley updated the Commission and stated that he had email correspondence with Ms. Cryan after the Commission's last discussion on the item. Ms. Cryan had told Mr. Wiley that she withdrew her complaint regarding the screens at the Grand Opera House. She had then come back and explained that she would not withdraw her complaint and had expected the Commission to take action and vote on the item. Mr. Wiley stated that Ms. Cryan had recently contacted him regarding the Grand Opera House screens and speakers. Ms. Cryan had expanded the scope of her complaint from focusing on removal of the television screens to removal of the speakers on each side of the stage also. Mr. Wiley explained that he had included Katie Kaliszewski s email to Ms. Cryan regarding the State Historic Preservation Office's (SHPO's) stance on the installation of the television screens. He stated that Ms. Kaliszewski, who was a Compliance Reviewer for the SHPO, explained that while she understood Ms. Cryan's concerns, the screens were removable and the work could be reversed. There was nothing from a state compliance standpoint that could occur further. Mr. Wiley explained this to the Commission and stated that Planning Services Manager Mark Lyons had directed him to place the item on the agenda and ask for Commission input on whether staff should look into the issue further. Ms. Stoll Olthoff stated that she understood the need to use modern technology in the space for modern concerts. She did not believe the speakers should be part of the discussion. Ms. Brabender Mattox explained that she did not like how magnified things were. She asked whether the speakers could damage the building with high decibel levels. She stated that the television screens were removable. Mr. Cummings stated that the screens were used to display donor names. Mr. Arnold stated that there was a balance between keeping the architectural integrity of the building and seeing changes necessary for modern use. Ms. Stoll Olthoff stated that she regularly attended concerts and that the speakers and modern technology were necessary for modern concerts. Mr. Arnold and Mr. Jacklin stated that an important question was why the Grand Opera House screen installations did not go through Landmarks. Mr. Wiley asked the Commission to vote on whether he should have Joe Ferlo and potentially Jane Cryan come in to discuss the item. The Commission voted 5-0 to direct Mr. Wiley to follow up on the item and arrange for Mr. Ferlo to attend an upcoming Landmarks meeting (Arnold/Cummings). 6. Building Permit Review The Commission discussed the list of building permits for January and February. Ms. Stoll Olthoff mentioned 421 Amherst Avenue and that the last owner had purchased the property in 1960. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that she had talked to the family of the owner and found out it became a rental. She stated that professors and their families used to live in the area. Mr. Wiley brought the property information up for the Commissioners. For 1010 Washington Avenue, Mr. Wiley pulled up the property information and Ms. Stoll Olthoff asked if the Commission could request more information. Mr. Wiley pulled up information from the Wisconsin Historical Society's website. The Commission suggested that Mr. Wiley print off the National/State Register nomination information for the property owners. They asked Mr. Wiley to reach out to the owners. 7. Chief Oshkosh — Steve Cummings — Update Mr. Cummings stated that the group working on the project had met and that they were working on fundraising. Ms. Brabender Mattox arrived during discussion of this item, at 3:08 pm. Mr. Cummings stated that he had been working on fundraising for the project and did not intend to move forward without having funding secured. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that she wanted to discuss the project with Rebecca Comfort who was the American Indian Nation Liaison at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Mr. Wiley stated that he could follow up with Mr. Davis and Mr. Lyons on potential funding for signage. 8. Historic Preservation Plan — Steven Wiley - Update Mr. Wiley stated that he had created a Doodle poll so that Commissioners could weigh in on their availability for three potential recurring dates. The dates included the 2na Thursday of the month (3 pm — 5 pm), 2na Friday of the month (1:30 pm — 3:30 pm) and the 3rd Monday of the month (3 pm — 5 pm). The five Commissioners in attendance had completed the survey four of them had indicated availability on the 3rd Monday of the month so that Mr. Wiley stated that he would set up a workshop for the upcoming Monday (March 16,11). 9. Lakeshore Historic Site - Discussion Mr. Cummings stated that the project area included property from Rainbow Park to the western portion of Lakeshore Park. He stated that it was an opportunity to talk about thousands of years of history. He had previously talked to Oshkosh Corporation and stated that Augusta, Georgia provided a good example of installation of historic signage. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that the first step of the process was to get the eligible portion of Lakeshore Park on the National Register. Mr. Cummings stated that the second step was then determining how the group wanted to tell the story. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that technology existed to make an educational sign project possible. Mr. Cummings recommended involving the Oshkosh Public Museum. Ms. Stoll Olthoff asked staff to email the link to the UWM report. 10. Social Media — Discussion/Action Ms. Brabender Mattox asked how many followers the Landmarks Facebook page had. Ms. Stoll Olthoff stated that the page had 357 followers. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that posting every week would be beneficial. Mr. Wiley stated that the system in place with the Sustainability Board worked very well and that in that case a board member had agreed to take on the work of creating material for new posts. She then would submit it to Mr. Wiley who scheduled the posts for the month. Mr. Wiley stated that a similar arrangement could work for Landmarks. Mr. Arnold stepped out at 4:43 pin and back in at 4:44 pm. Mr. Wiley asked Commissioners to submit material to him if they were interested in having the material posted. Ms. Stoll Olthoff stated that she had gotten 17 more people to like the Landmarks Facebook page. 11. Commissioner Statements a. 404 W. New York Avenue: Local Landmarking — Shirley Brabender Mattox/Rich Green Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that she had received an email from Rich Green and that he was planning to visit. Mr. Arnold had found photographs from 1915. Mr. Green wanted to pursue landmarking of the property and National Register listing. b. Feedback on Landmarks Website Stats — This item was not discussed due to time constraints. Mr. Wiley stated that he had the website stats for the past month. c. Winnebago County Historic and Archeological Society (WCHAS) 100 Years — Update — Steve Cummings Mr. Cummings explained that this was done and mentioned that the WCHAS had recently published the book Historic Winnebago County — The People, The Water, The Past. 16. Agenda Items for Next Meeting (April 8Ih, 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. Ms. Brabender Mattox mentioned the April 241h and 25ffi WAHPC Conference and that it was scheduled to occur in Marshfield. State Historic Preservation Officer Daina Penkiunas was scheduled to be there both days and Ms. Brabender Mattox invited the Commission to attend. 17. Adjournment Ms. Stoll Olthoff made a motion to adjourn and Mr. Cummings seconded. Meeting adjourned at 5:00 pm (5-0). Recorded by: Steven Wiley, Associate Planner