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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutesCITY OF OSHKOSH LANDMARKS COMMISSION MINUTES JANUARY 13, 2010 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chairperson Todd Clark, Burk Tower (Council), Dennis Arnold, Joe Blechl, Shirley Mattox and Arlene Schmuhl. COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Tina Haffeman AD HOC MEMBERS PRESENT: Aaron Sherer, Paine Art & Garden Center STAFF: David Buck OTHERS PRESENT: Susan Hirschberg, Paine Art & Garden Center Board Member CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Todd Clark called the meeting to order and a quorum was declared present. There was an introduction of Commission members and others present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Discussion took place regarding general grammatical changes to the November minutes as well as specific changes as follows: Page 2 • Grand Opera House Update - Doyle Lehe should be changed to Brian Leahy Doyle. • Area Reports — William Waters's home on Broad Street has an overall roof but is missing the roof on the bay window. Ms. Haffeman, not Ms. Mattox, made the comment regarding the location of the Winnebago Mental Health Facility and lighthouse. Page 3 Reports of the Working Committees — Area reports should be changed to working committee reports. Agenda Items for Next Meeting - Josh Ranger is an educational ad -hoc as well as a UWO Archivist. Dennis Arnold moved approval of the November minutes with corrections as listed. Joe Blechl seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. GRAND OPERA HOUSE UPDATE Mr. Clark stated that he had attended a meeting regarding the Grand and discussed rehab efforts. Ms. Schmuhl said she believes the Grand has gone to an entirely Facebook presence on the internet. Mr. Arnold inquired about the schedule for the Grand's renovation and Mr. Clark responded that it is on schedule and that he will learn more this coming Tuesday. 1 of 3 PAINE ART AND GARDEN CENTER PLAN REVIEW Mr. Buck explained the rezoning request, Conditional Use (CUP) and Plan Development (PD) process the Paine Art and Garden Center is going through and that they went before and received a positive recommendation from the Plan Commission at the December 15th, 2009 meeting. The rezoning action had a public hearing before the Common Council on January 12 2010 and the CUP/PD will be reviewed at the January 26 2010 Council Meeting. Mr. Aaron Sherer, Director of the Paine, stated that a master plan for the Art and Garden Center was developed in the late 1990's mainly to address handicap access but also to address historic preservation issues and the recommendations of the plans were completed between 2003 and 2005. In 2005 a new master plan was started that included a need to update the carriage house and other areas of the property for further handicap access improvements. Ms. Mattox inquired if they had considered using historic building codes as a way to address required handicap improvements and also if they have been working with the state Historical Society. Mr. Sherer responded that they are working with an architectural firm out of Chicago who are well known for historic preservation and consideration was given to wholesale vs. selective changes to the carriage house. Mr. Sherer presented a PowerPoint presentation outlining the proposed changes to the property including the removal of a home and the expansion of the Art and Garden Center. Mr. Arnold asked if the home would be raised or relocated. Mr. Sherer responded that that decision has not been finalized at this time but the proliferation of overhead power lines would make moving it difficult. He further stated that salvaging the home was an option they will be looking at as well. The presentation then focused on the carriage house addition, temporary outdoor gathering places, handicap accessibility to the overall property, and the changes to the garden area. Ms. Mattox inquired if any gardens were historic. Mr. Sherer stated that they are not and that the property completion was incremental with ever - changing vegetation. Mr. Sherer described the details of the carriage house renovation and addition and introduced Ms. Susan Hirschberg, Paine Art & Garden Center Board Member. Ms. Hirschberg described the use of the National Park Service Guidelines in relationship of the architectural style of the addition to the existing site and that many elements are included on the Paine property without being a duplication or replication. Mr. Clark stated that he felt the addition was adding — not subtracting from the historic feel of the building. Ms. Hirschberg added that there will not be an invasion of the existing structure so if it is ever desired to remove the addition; it would not affect the existing structure. Ms. Mattox inquired about the look of the Congress Street facade, to which Mr. Sherer confirmed will match the existing exterior while "receding" from the street to permit the two - story carriage house to be the dominant feature. Mr. Clark asked about the elevator clearance above the cab and how that is to be addressed. Ms. Hirschberg stated that the override is factored into the attic space on the addition. Ms. Mattox asked if the roof would be metal and Mr. Sherer stated that they would like to use copper like the roof of the main gallery of the mansion thereby relating the two structures. Mr. Clark stated copper with patina would be appropriate. Mr. Clark asked what the timeline for improvements would be. Mr. Sherer stated that they hope to break ground in late 2010 so as not to interrupt the garden season with interior work taking place over the winter. The carriage house remodel and addition will be completed in 2011. 2 of 3 Mr. Arnold stated that the property is on the National Register of Historic Places and asked if the plans had gone before the state or federal review. Mr. Sherer stated they are not required to go before the Historical Society's as they have never received funding, however the firm chosen to complete the work is well aware of historic preservation methods and would not make changes to remove the designation. Mr. Buck stated that the Landmarks Commission can request that the Paine submit plans to state and federal agencies for review and comment if they choose. Ms. Mattox stated she felt the changes will keep the integrity of the site and structure intact but wondered why they have not sought funding through those agencies? Ms. Schmuhl agreed that the changes were not overly extensive and did not have a drastic impact on the current conditions on -site. Mr. Sherer said he has not seen any applicable grants and pointed out that the Paine only has state significance, not national. Ms. Mattox motioned to recommend approval of the plans as presented and requested that Mr. Clark be present at the Common Council. Ms. Schmuhl seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Ms Schmuhl and Mr. Clark excused themselves from the meeting at 5:10 pm. COMMISSION STATUS Mr. Buck went over the membership status and the Commission discussed that they have an open seat. Ms. Mattox asked that staff look at applications submitted to the Mayor to determine if any are interested and qualified to serve on the Landmarks Commission. 2010 BUDGET REQUESTS /GRANT REQUESTS Mr. Buck expressed his regret that he was unable to determine if grant funding had been applied for and informed the Commission that there was not funding provided in the recently approved City budget for the Landmarks Commission. Ms. Mattox stated that they had asked for funds to do a physical inventory of city owned property and also that she thought funding from the state had been applied for. Mr. Buck stated he will contact the Historical Society to determine if applications were submitted or if discussion between City staff and funding agencies had taken place. Mr. Tower stated that the issue of historic preservation is a community development item and is interested to see how it will be addressed with a new Director of Community Development. ADJOURNMENT Other items on the agenda were not discussed due to time constraints and the Commission asked that staff include items not addressed in the February agenda. Mr. Arnold moved approval of adjournment of the meeting. Mr. Tower seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 5:32 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, David Buck Principal Planner 3 of 3