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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutesCITY OF OSHKOSH LANDMARKS COMMISSION Minutes May 13, 2015 PRESENT: Harold Buchholz, Angela Merrill, Sharon Kipetz, Shirley Brabender Mattox, Paul Arnold, David Buck and Alexa Naudziunas EXCUSED: Karen Heikel, Steve Cummings and Vicky Redlin 1. Call To Order The meeting was called to order at 3:11 p.m. and a quorum was declared present. 2. Approval Of April 8, 2015 and April 20, 2015 Meeting Minutes Mr. Buchholz motioned to approve the April 8th meetings minutes and Ms. Brabender Mattox seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Buchholz requested a change on the second page first paragraph omitting the second sentence. Mr. Arnold requested a change on the second page in the third paragraph for the first sentence to be ended after the house address and the rest omitted. Mr. Buchholz motioned to approve the April 20th meeting minutes as amended and Ms. Merrill seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. 3. Building Permit Review Ms. Brabender Mattox asked if there was a mechanism for us to check if projects over $10,000 had applied for tax credits. Mr. Buck said that he believed we would have to check with the State Historical Society on each permit. Mr. Buchholz stated that he could ask the owners of 1141 Algoma directly. Ms. Brabender Mattox stated that it is a good idea to bring the topic up with them even after the fact as word of mouth on tax credits can be a good way to get the information out. Mr. Buchholz made a site visit and believed that the 1106 Algoma Blvd. fence valuation was too expensive. However, the commission was not positive on whether or not the fence has been built yet. There was general discussion about fencing in historic districts. 4. Editorial – Demolition of Historic Structures Ms. Brabender Mattox explained her progress in writing an editorial in the Northwestern about historic property protection to compliment the editorial done by the Winnebago County Historical and Archeological Society. Ms. Brabender Mattox explained that she would like to find a way to educate people on the process of saving a house. Mr. Buck suggested that she include information about urging residents to contact their legislators. Ms. Brabender Mattox said she would like to have the editorial completed for May. There was discussion on what to include in such an editorial and that the commissioners should pass on any input to Ms. Brabender Mattox or Ms. Merrill that they feel should be included. 5. Riverside Cemetery – General Discussion Mr. Buck explained that there used to be a sub-committee that met every month that centered on the chapel upgrade and its use. Mr. Buck explained that there once was a fountain in Riverside Cemetery and it was damaged and removed and that the remaining parts of the fountain are being donated to the museum. Mr. Buck explained that there is a large monument sign on the cemetery. Mr. Buck said that there has been discussion in the past about using the chapel for events or some alternative usage. Ms. Brabender Mattox had an idea to use the cemetery as a master garden project. Ms. Merrill suggested conducting a survey as a way to get formal ideas from the public on possible uses for the chapel. Mr. Buchholz desired clarification on what the end goals and objectives were of the Riverside Cemetery discussion. The commission decided to discuss the Riverside Cemetery further at the June meeting. 6. Schreiber House – Update Mr. Buck explained that there are currently no individuals who are interested in moving forward and relocating the building. He further explained that Mayor Cummings and the City are exploring the idea of moving the house to the park across the street to be utilized as part of the museum. Mr. Buck explained that the Schreiber House will be featured in the July issue of This Old House magazine. Mr. Buck explained that The Paine owns the property that the Schreiber House is located on and they are permitted to tear down the house if they choose but that they cannot build a parking lot there if they don’t move house, as this was a condition of approval during the review/approval by Council. Mr. Buck explained that The Paine has agreed to wait to allow someone to save the house, however he suspects that they will move forward with demolition if someone cannot be found to move the structure. This will require an amendment to the planned developed to allow the house to be demolished but that after they do their due diligence that Council may be asked to permit it. 7. Longfellow School Marker The commission chose to discuss this topic at a later date because Mr. Cummings was not present. 8. Acanthus Awards – Progress and Summaries Mr. Buck explained that he created a memo about who will receive the 2015 Acanthus Awards for City Council. The commission discussed contacting the individuals who will receive the Acanthus Awards and they decided they would contact them each separately by letter and personal contact. Details of the awards ceremony was discussed including the development of the presentation, creation of the awards themselves, and timeline for further research on the awardees. 9. Historic/Cultural Tourism Project – Update Mr. Buck updated the commission on the status of the historic/cultural tourism program Mr. Cummings has been organizing with the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and that the boundaries have been determined as follows: Irving Avenue to the river and Jackson Street to Broad Street. Austin Frederick was hired as a historic researcher to compile an inventory of historically significant items in the defined area of the city, which is focused on the central city area. Mr. Buck explained the focus will also be on grabbing the attention of tourists based on stories, people and places. A small group of people will be compiling brief historical descriptions for various locations. The CVB has hired a professional marketing company to create a cohesive tour based on the inventory and historical stories. 10. Agenda Items for Next Meeting/Statements Beyond regular items such as minutes and building permit review, the commission decided to include discussion on Riverside Cemetery, Longfellow School Marker, editorial review and stay updated on the tourism program at the June meeting. 11. Adjournment Mr. Buchholz made a motion to adjourn and the motion was seconded by Ms. Brabender Mattox. Motion approved unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 5:15 p. m. Recorded by Alexa Naudziunas, Assistant Planner