Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes1 of 5 CITY OF OSHKOSH LANDMARKS COMMISSION MINUTES DECEMBER 10, 2014 PRESENT: Dennis Arnold, Steve Cummings, Angela Merrill, Sharon Kipetz, and Shirley Brabender Mattox EXCUSED: Vicky Redlin, and Karen Heikel 1. CALL TO ORDER Mr. Arnold called the meeting to order at 3:13 pm and a quorum was declared present. 2. BUILDING PERMIT REVIEW (JULY, 2014 - NOVEMBER, 2014) Mr. Buck explained that the packets include building permits issued from July through November and that this brings the Commission up-to-date. The Commission went over the building permits issued by month with notable discussion on the rehabilitation and expansion of the Frank Percey Gun and Fur House/Dealerfire building at 531 North Main Street including the large amount of money spent on rehab and the use of tax credits on the project. The Commission also discussed the exterior renovation of the Gibson Auto Exchange/Varsity Club building at 570 North Main and commented that the structure was rehabbed appropriately and, with the exception of cleaning the masonry exterior and replacing the existing box sign on the front façade, could be considered a complete turnaround from the poor maintenance it had received over the past 100 years. Ms. Brabender Mattox noted that the work done on the Wagner Opera House building at 407 North Main Street with the addition of Ski’s Meat Market use was encouraging and she wondered if they utilized tax credits. Mr. Buck stated he was unsure if they used tax credits but stated that the meat market had hoped to paint a “retro” sign on the north façade but that after discussions with SHPO on the potential negative effects of painting historic masonry, it will not be going forward. However, he said he has had several conversations with a paint manufacturer about a product that may be suitable for painting historic masonry as it is said to allow water to pass through it, can be chemically removed and that he would keep the Commission informed. After working with the tenant at 317 Market Street, signage for the hair salon was installed in such a way that the architectural elements of the building were not covered or impacted. Mr. Buck stated that the remaining rooftop antenna at the Raulf Hotel/Mainview Apartment building at 522 North Main Street was scheduled to be relocated and that the Main Street façade marquee installation project, that had been previously reviewed, was imminent. The Commission discussed the roof replacement at 401-407 North Main Street that was done but was unsure if they looked into the tax credits. Mr. Arnold let the Commission know that Mark Haase, the carpenter that he had been in contact with regarding the window repair/replacement for the Beckwith House/New Moon Café building at 401 North Main Street, had a fire in his shop and may be no longer be working. Ms. Kipetz said that Chris Thorp is also a window repair professional from Omro who may be a good resource for this item. Mr. Arnold also thought that Laib Restoration Co. may be working with or taking up the work of the carpenter. The residential rental property at 519 Franklin Street has also completed their painting project which retained the original wood siding and window trim/casings. Other discussion on permits issued and work done at various properties was discussed including slow rehabilitation work and 2 of 5 painting at a Greek Revival single-family home on High Avenue and roof replacement on a home on Church Avenue. 3. HISTORIC TOURS/INFORMATIONAL BROCHURES – UPDATE Mr. Buck stated that Mr. Cummings set up a meeting with the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) to discuss the promotion of cultural tourism in the city and how the Landmarks Commission can work with them to get a more organized program going. He stated that he had provided the multiple brochures related to historic properties and tours throughout the city to the participants of the meeting. Mr. Cummings stated that besides himself and Mr. Buck that the meeting was attended by Brad Larsen from the Museum, Cassie Daniels from the Business Improvement District and Wendy Hielsberg from the CVB. Mr. Cummings stated that everyone was very excited about it and that the CVB has budgeted a small amount of funds for 2015 to work on historic-heritage-cultural tourism. The discussion centered on gathering the existing literature and data that currently exists, reevaluate it for accuracy and then come up with a consolidated and new tourism item such as a brochure or booklet that can be distributed and marketed. Mr. Cummings said the starting point will be to get an intern, probably from the University, to do an inventory of historic assets and information such as buildings, monuments and “stories” and put the information down in a spreadsheet that can be sorted by larger or more general topics. Art Rathkin with the UWO Business Success Center has said that this type of project would be great for an intern. Ms. Kipetz said that Art is with the Foundation but also stated that it depends if the internship is to generate credit or be a “resume builder” only. Ms. Kipetz stated that information such as hours, job description and who supervises the intern. She would get back to us with what information needed to be provided. 4. HISTORIC MARKER PROGRAM - FISHING MARKER APPROVAL Mr. Buck referred to the proof of the historic marker on fishing and stated that Brad Larson informed staff that the reference to the White Bass Queen needed to be amended as it was only a single year event in 1936. The Commission went over the text and photos and discussed what to do with the inaccuracy in the marker reference. Based on Brad’s comments and the research by Ginny Gross, the Commission decided to remove/delete the reference to the White Bass Festival - “An annual White Bass Festival attracted hundreds for fishing, and a “White Bass Queen” was crowned each year to represent the event” as it was only a one year event. They did a bit of research themselves at the meeting and decided to add “In June 2010, Oshkosh hosted an event (Cabela's National Team Championship and Master’s Walleye Circuit’s Lake Winnebago Central Division Qualifier) recognized by Guinness World Records as History’s Largest Fishing Tournament.” as the last sentence of the text (following …ice fishing annually. ). Some concerns were expressed that this was subsequently beat in 2012 and is now held by a community in Mexico but the Commission felt it was an interesting item to include that people would like. The Commission unanimously approved the marker with the following changes: 1. Change the title to “Fishing in Oshkosh” and check to see if the font size can be increased. 2. The Foundation logo to be added to the bottom left as a “Donated By:”. 3. Add a hyphen between “Over” and “fishing” on the beginning of the 5th line on the center column of text. 4. Remove/delete the reference to the White Bass Festival - “An annual White Bass Festival attracted hundreds for fishing, and a “White Bass Queen” was crowned each year to 3 of 5 represent the event” as it was only a one year event. They did a bit of research themselves at the meeting and decided to add “In June 2010, Oshkosh hosted an event (Cabela's National Team Championship and Master’s Walleye Circuit’s Lake Winnebago Central Division Qualifier) recognized by Guinness World Records as History’s Largest Fishing Tournament.” as the last sentence of the text following “…ice fishing annually”. 5. Lighten the photos if they were going to be as dark as they appeared on the print. 6. Shift the image on the far right to the right to include a bit more of the shanty, if possible. 7. Include captions for photos. 8. Adjust the caption text for the second image from the right to match the WI Historical Society’s photo description. “White Bass Run – People fishing for bass off dock” c. 1942 9. Adjust the caption placement on the hanging sturgeon picture to be relocated to the upper left side of the photo in the open air space rather than over the fish’s back fins. The Commission also gave staff the latitude to make the changes and not need to bring the proof back for approval. 5. WISDOT NORTH MAIN STREET RECONSTRUCTION - IMPACT ANALYSIS Mr. Buck informed the Commission that they have received a communication from Heritage Research, a consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation stating that plans are underway for the reconstruction of North Main Street between New York and Murdock Avenues. He went over the letter that was included in the packets and mentioned that the Ladies Benevolent Society Home was considered to be eligible for the National Register. Additionally, the letter went over seven effects of the project that could impact the historic district and the home as well as ways that are planned to mitigate these effects. The Commission discussed the items and asked that the DOT consider undergrounding the utilities within the historic district. The Commission also addressed the individual items as follows. Reduced Terrace from 8 feet to 7.5 feet – the Commission would prefer as much terrace as possible in the City’s historic districts to address the planting of street trees, which has been a prominent feature of our City’s history but does not feel the reduced terrace width to 7.5 feet will be detrimental as a the proposed terrace width will remain suitable for the installation of new street trees and will provide area for the installation of bicycle lanes, which is felt to be a positive amenity. Sidewalk relocation .5 to .6 feet to the property line – the Commission is unconcerned with the relocation of the sidewalk as the distance is nominal and the relocation would not affect the historic or cultural integrity of the District. Removal of 5 trees – the Commission is concerned with the removal of the street trees within the district as the City has had a strong historic and cultural association with heavily tree-lined streets. However, it is noted in the letter that the project will include the replacement of the removed trees so this concern is somewhat alleviated. The Commission would like to request that the replacement trees be fast growing and of a larger caliper to expedite the return of the historic “tree-lined” street. Replacement of steps – the Commission is unconcerned with the removal and replacement of steps as none are of individual historic significance. Addition of railing at two locations – the Commission understands the need for railings to be 4 of 5 installed at steps with 4 or more risers and does not object but would like to stress that the new handrails should be reflective of the District’s time period (1908-1930) and overall craftsman style. Replacement of retaining walls at several locations – the Commission is unconcerned with the removal and replacement of retaining walls as none appear to be of a historic nature. The Commission is also encouraged by the statement that you will take the character of the historic district into consideration when approaching owners to select retaining wall types. Installation of decorative lighting – the Commission is strongly in favor of the installation of decorative lighting on all streets of the city but particularly within the historic district and near historically significant structures. The Commission feels, as with the handrails above, that the lighting proposed should be representative of the district’s time period (1908-1930) and the Commission was supportive of the example lighting included in the letter. Additionally, the Commission feels other properties within the project boundaries retain significant historic integrity and cultural importance but that the Landmarks Commission was encouraged that the Ladies Benevolent Home at 1628 North Main Street was determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. They asked if a formal nomination will be undertaken as part of the North Main Street Reconstruction project and if not, request that the owner of the property be contacted to inform them of the buildings potential eligibility, the benefits that inclusion on the National Register includes, and guidance on how they could move forward with a nomination on their own, if they so choose. The Landmarks Commission requested that copies of the research, information gathered and the determination of eligibility be supplied to us for our records so that the Landmarks Commission could assist the property owner on potential nomination in the future. Lastly, the Commission asked that staff thank the DOT for allowing the Commission to respond. 6. WORK PLAN/PROJECT GOALS FOR 2015 Mr. Buck and the Commission briefly went over lists of yearly goals ranging from 2008 to 2014. The consensus was to go over and finalize the goal list at the next meeting when Ms. Redlin and Ms. Heikel can contribute to the discussion. It was preliminary determined that the ongoing items such as website development, tourism and brochure creation, neoclassical district creation and education and outreach programs such as the mailing need to be included on the goals list as well as the Acanthus Awards and Annual Reporting. It was felt that the potential for a community access program on historic rehab techniques need be retained as a goal. Additional items that could be considered to be added would include inventorying our existing historic districts to determine what has been done to the structures over the past 10-30 years since they were listed, adding the Bayshore District Nomination, research on the probability of a South Side district (possibly Doty Street area), and coordination/cooperation with other preservation groups. The Commission asked that this item be included in January for finalization. 7. AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING/COMMISSIONER STATEMENTS The Commission decided that the next agenda should include updates on existing projects, a final review and determination of goals for 2015, discuss letter and mailing to the property 5 of 5 owners in Historic Districts with attachments and any other items that present themselves over the next month. 8. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Arnold motioned to adjourn. Motion was seconded by Mr. Cummings. Motion approved unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 5:10 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, David Buck, Principal Planner