Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutesCity of Oshkosh Landmarks Commission Minutes March 11, 2015 PRESENT: Harold Buchholz, Steve Cummings, Angela Merrill, Shirley Brabender Mattox, Paul Arnold, David Buck and Alexa Naudziunas EXCUSED: Vicky Redlin, Karen Heikel, and Sharon Kipetz 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 3:05 p.m. and a quorum was declared present. Mr. Buchholz was introduced and explained his experience and background with being on City Council and a former member of the Landmarks Commission. He gave specific details on how he came to live and own a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oshkosh. There was a brief introduction of the present commissioners and staff. 2. APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 11, 2015 MEETING MINUTES Mr. Arnold had a correction on paragraph two where it says “on the lake”, which should be changed to “toward the lake”. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that she previously used the term “crib” collection, but the correct term is “nativity” for the museum within the church. Ms. Brabender Mattox motioned to approve the February minutes as amended and Angela Merrill seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. 3. BUILDING PERMIT REVIEW Mr. Buck pointed out that there were no general building permits issued on historic properties in February and those issued were heating or plumbing. The process of building permit reviews was explained briefly. 4. HISTORICAL/CULTURAL TOURISM PROJECT – UPDATE Mr. Cummings updated the commission on the status of the historic/cultural tourism program and that there have been two meetings to date. The Oshkosh Area Community Foundation has donated $750 and City Council decided to allocate $2,000 for the program. The Winnebago County Historical and Archeological Society have decided not to contribute but might donate money at a later date. Austin Frederick was hired to compile an inventory of all historically significant “things” in the defined area of the city, which is focused on the central city area (Irving Avenue to the river and Jackson Street to Broad Street). Mr. Cummings explained the focus will also be on grabbing the attention of tourists based on stories, people and places. They had set an aggressive goal of having the first tour ready by June 1st, 2015. Mr. Buck mentioned the desire to have a self guided tour and/or a walking or biking tour. Ms. Merrill mentioned that using Google maps can be useful. Mr. Buchholz said that tourists would be confused by where to get information on tourism when coming into the city. Ms. Merrill and Mr. Buck stated that the marketing company used by the Convention and Visitors Bureau will most likely recommend taking advantage of social media and internet based tourism outreach and creating a webpage is a good first step to reach a greater audience. Mr. Buck expressed his troubles with trying to find historic information and referenced plaque research about the old newspaper building at 21 Waugoo Ave. He explained that the historic plaque research has been very time consuming. 5. COMMENTS/ADDITIONAL RESOURCE IDENTIFICATION FOR THE LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE PLAN FOR THE OSHKOSH MPO Kathy Thunes from East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission was at the meeting last month to talk about compiling an inventory for the Long Range Transportation Plan Cultural Resources Element. Ms. Thunes had emailed Mr. Buck and revealed that she found out that the Riverside Cemetery is not a historic district; it’s a historic site with multiple structures and monuments within it. Her email explained that National Register properties are only listed and that if a property is in a historic district, it will not be listed separately. Mr. Buck read the email from Kathy Thunes that stated that she will check and add the Frank Lloyd Wright house, Riverside Cemetery historic site, Algoma Methodist Church Museum, Military Veterans Museum, Paine Art Center and Gardens, and the missing cemetery. Mr. Buck used his phone to determine what the name and location of the missing cemetery was and found that it was on Knott Road and is named Minckler Cemetery in Omro. The idea of creating a special group for William Waters’s houses in Oshkosh as locally significant was discussed. The Commission found that the James House is the only locally designated house in the city. 6. MAILINGS – LETTER AND BROCHURE REVIEW/FINALIZATION Ms. Brabender Mattox wanted to change the letter to have “your property” underlined. Mr. Buchholz mentioned a need to change the number of Historic Districts from eight to seven. He also wanted the mission statement to be added to all of the brochures. There was much discussion of what photos should be used and eventually it was decided that Ms. Merrill should use her best judgment to choose diverse types of photos for the multiple brochures. Mr. Buck changed the percentage on the Qualified Rehab Building Tax Credit brochure to be 10% instead of 20% and mentioned that Governor Walker had the recommendation to cap the income producing to no more than 10 million a year. Mr. Buchholz suggested the change of writing out the whole name for NPS (National Park Service) under the Wisconsin Supplemental Historic Preservation Credit section. Mr. Buchholz expressed his need for clarification on some of the rules and thought they should be better explained in the brochures. Mr. Buck explained that this was the same language that was used in the program explanation from Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. Mr. Buchholz requested that they spell out WEDC as well. The commissioners discussed rearranging the order of resources available for researching a properties history. Ms. Brabender Mattox suggested that the Oshkosh Public Library should be listed first. Mr. Buck stated that he planned to finalize the brochures and print them out with about 400 copies each. After they are printed he planned on mailing them out all at once. The brochures will not be taken back to the commissioners as they were determined to be finalized and will be sent out when changes were completed. 7. EDITORIAL ON DEMOLITION OF HISTORIC STRUCTURES Ms. Brabender Mattox expressed an interest in writing an editorial in the Northwestern about historic property protection. She also added that she wished there was a way of preserving a condemned Gothic Revival property on Frederick Street, which is the only one of its kind in the city. Ms. Brabender Mattox said that it is a better piece of architecture than the “Honeymoon House”, which was rehabilitated and sold by NeighborWorks Badgerland. Ms. Brabender Mattox said in the editorial she wanted to appeal to the people who care about historic preservation in the community and she was considering urging community members to embrace their communities and start their own neighborhood associations. Mr. Buck suggested that Ms. Brabender Mattox bring her editorial in draft back to be approved by the Landmarks Commission in April. Ms. Brabender Mattox explained that her main point will be to urge community members to take action and become involved. Mr. Buck suggested that Ms. Brabender Mattox also consider adding a section about improving legislation, because there is no regulation to require residents to preserve their properties. Mr. Buck said he will add the editorial review to the agenda for next month. 8. WORK PLAN/COMMISSION GOALS FOR 2015 Mr. Buck explained that Mr. Buchholz has shown an interest in the possibilities of banners advertising historic preservation month in specific areas of the community. Mr. Buck explained the rules of signs and banners, the most prominent being size and location. 9. AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING/STATEMENTS Mr. Buck announced that the Wisconsin Association for Historic Preservation Commission is taking nominations for awards. The award types are as follows: Identification of designation, economic development or revitalization, restoration rehab, historic preservation commission, advocacy. Ms. Brabender Mattox spoke of the possibility of the Housing Authority being a candidate. Mr. Buck said he will check with the Housing Authority to see if they would be interested in being nominated. Mr. Buck reminded the commission that the State of the City is coming up on March 23rd and there is a possibility of them having a table or they could choose not to have any display. Mr. Cummings wanted to discuss the Neoclassical District, which is a grouping of six buildings on Washington Street near Main Street. Staff and the State Historical Society met with all but one of the property owners and by the end of the month it should be determined who gets the CLG grants. Items for next month were determined to be editorial review, Acanthus Awards, webpage and considerations for a Landmarks Commission Facebook page. Mr. Buchholz mentioned a need to promote and be more proactive with the historic plaque program. 10. ADJOURNMENT Buchholz made a motion to adjourn and motion was seconded by Arnold. Motion approved unanimously at 5:16 p. m. Recorded by Alexa Naudziunas, Assistant Planner