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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutesCITY OF OSHKOSH LANDMARKS COMMISSION MINUTES July 14, 2010 PRESENT: Todd Clark, Dennis Arnold, Joe Blechl, Shirley Mattox, Arlene Schmuhl, and Steve Cummings EXCUSED: STAFF: David Buck, Principal Planner OTHERS PRESENT: None CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Clark called the meeting to order at 3:05 pm and a quorum was declared present. APPROVAL OF JUNE MINUTES Mr. Arnold stated that the June minutes needed to be amended to reflect that Joe Blechl was excused and was not present and also that he was referred to as "Paul" in some sections and "Dennis" in others. For consistency it was determined that he should be referred to as Dennis Arnold or that the minutes should use surnames only. Ms. Schmuhl motioned and Mr. Cummings seconded the approval of the minutes as amended. Motion carried. BUILDING PERMIT REVIEW JANUARY 2010 — JUNE 2010 Mr. Buck explained that the building permit program was adjusted to allow reports listing work cards /permits for properties designated as historic and went over the lists for building permits, electrical permits, plumbing permits and HVAC permits. Mr. Buck further stated that the lists are for permits already issued and are from January 2010 through June 2010. Mr. Clark stated that the listing is a good start in the process of allowing the Commission to know what was being done to historic structures but that knowing before the permits were issued would be ideal. Ms. Schmuhl said that the integrity of historic properties could be compromised by work being performed but that it was difficult to determine from the listings. Mr. Arnold stated that he agreed that it was hard to determine severity of work by the description included in the work cards and that it would be better to see the permit before issuance rather than after. Mr. Cummings asked that pictures be provided with the lists. Ms. Schmuhl expressed her thoughts that a subcommittee of maybe two of the Landmarks Commission members could be utilized to review permit requests prior to issuance and in that way not "hold -up" permit issuance. She further described the use of e -mail to disseminate information when the permit is applied for so comment or response could be provided within a short timeframe. Ms. Mattox noticed that the work card for 634 Wisconsin Street had window replacement and that education could be provided to address the false concept of vinyl window economics in that their lifespan is short and that it is often better to repair or update the existing windows. Educational material or advice to owners and their contractors could help to preserve the use of existing windows over replacement. Mr. Clark asked that we put the educational element of the building 1 of 3 permit issuance on the next agenda and asked that Mr. Buck speak with the Community Development Director to discuss the ability of a subcommittee review and potential delay in permit issuance. Ms. Mattox stated that it seemed that some of the changes could have drastic impact such as changing porches that do not match the historic context. Mr. Cummings added that the educational element of the Landmarks Commission can help to protect the value of real estate rather than being regulatory. Mr. Blechl suggested a program on OCAT highlighting importance of historic context in remodeling projects. Ms. Mattox said she would check to see if she could locate any public service announcements that have been put out by the state or national historical societies. Mr. Clark stated that educational information could be added to the updated website. Mr. Cummings said he will check the MLS to determine if a search can be done that pulled listings that would include age of buildings and areas they are located as these results could help the Commission give information on the historic qualities of their listings. Mr. Buck added that this would help them list them correctly and help to match people looking for a older /historic character home with the home rather than having individuals purchase a historic home that they will remodel to try to recreate or renovate to a suburban style house. GRAND OPERA HOUSE UPDATE Mr. Clark stated that he has been out of town and missed the decorative arts elements meetings. Mr. Buck went over the excerpt from the City Managers memorandum of June 25 discussing the progress on the Grand. Ms. Mattox stated that the doors of the Market Street entrance need maintenance in the form of painting. RIVERSIDE CEMETERY CHAPEL Mr. Clark discussed the Cemetery Subcommittee meeting at the chapel and described the condition of the structure and future actions needed to bring it up to a "usable" state. Ms. Schmuhl mentioned that the current condition of the chapel, with cleaning, was probably sufficient for use of the paranormal convention to coordinate planned cemetery activities. Mr. Buck stated he would coordinate with Mr. Sturm, City Forester, prior to July 23 and get back to Ms. Schmuhl for potentially contacting the paranormal investigators convention organizers. Ms. Schmuhl discussed the TV program Discover Wisconsin, which is doing a story on the cemetery with Ginny Gross from the Museum on July 29 Mr. Clark asked that we work with Mr. Sturm to make use of the chapel if possible. WISDOT HIGHWAY 41 BRIDGE PROJECT UPDATE Mr. Clark is sitting on a committee to deal with the Highway 41 pathway bridge. He stated that they are designing Native American themes with informational kiosks at stop points. He further stated that one stop point would focus on a history of the lake kiosk and how it has changed over the years. Mr. Clark is going to come up with a narrative and would like to run it past the Commission. General consensus was that the Landmarks Commission would review and help to narrow down the vast amount of information included within the topic. Ms. Mattox suggested that the archivist at the University be contacted. Mr. Clark stated he will bring something back next meeting. 2 of 3 LANDMARKING PROCESS Mr. Buck went over paperwork including an application with support documentation. Mr. Buck asked if there had been any discussion with the owners of the Fulton Street property or Mr. Buchholz's home on possible landmarking. Mr. Arnold stated that the owners of the home on Fulton have copies of the plans for the building but he believes that Terry Laib may have the originals. Mr. Arnold said he would ask if he could get a copy to staff or at least have Mr. Laib contact staff so we could make a copy. AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING Possible items for the next meeting include review of building permits and MLS listings, website design update, Highway 41 bridge project, historic plaques, City Hall steps on Algoma Blvd and update on Riverside Cemetery. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Arnold moved and Todd Clark seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 4:15 pm. Motion carried. Respectfully Submitted, David Buck Principal Planner 3 of 3