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Minutes 12-06-10 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION AD HOC COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2010 AT 5:00 P.M. AT FIRE STATION #2, 2615 W. WOOLBRIGHT AVENUE, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA Present: Warren Adams, Chair Barbara Ready, Vice Chair Janet DeVries Gaylord Allan Hendricks Eric Jones John McGovern Linda Stabile Mike Rumpf, Planning & Zoning Director Ed Breese, Principal Planner Public: James Brake 1. Call to Order Chair Adams called the meeting to order at 5:13 p.m. A quorum was present. 2. Approval of Minutes Chair Adams moved on to the next item on the agenda, as there were no minutes for approval. 3. Preparation for Commission presentation Staff noted the draft PowerPoint presentation, prepared by Warren Adams, was on the overhead screen for discussion purposes. Chair Adams reviewed each slide, bullet point by bullet point, giving a brief explanation associated with each point, beginning with slide number one titled, "Historic Preservation Program Benefits". The bullet points displayed on the screen included, Development, regeneration and growth; Grants and financial assistance; Tax Credits; Increased desirability and improved property values; Supports the Boynton Beach Green Initiative; Stimulates additional tax revenue; Job creation; Education; Tourism; Recognition by County, State, Federal Government; Potential savings of re-use vs. new build; Protection of investments of owners and residents; Historic districts encourage better design; Enhancement of business recruitment potential; Improved community spirit, pride, sense of place. Discussion ensued, on each of the points and it was decided that an additional bullet point would be added to the list, noting another Meeting Minutes Historic Preservation Committee Boynton Beach, FL December 6, 2010 benefit of a Historic Preservation program is that it "Improves neighborhood stability and reduces crime". Chair Adams then moved on to the next series of slides titled, "Ad Hoc Committee Recommendations". The first recommendation is for the "Creation of a Historic Preservation Board". Group consensus was that the appointment of members to the Board was an important component in the process, as it was a necessary step in attempting to attain Certified Local Government (CLG) status. The committee members suggested that they would be willing to help recruit applicants for the Board and offer its assistance of recommendations to the City Commission on appointments, if desired. The committee also added another bullet to the slide, recommending that the Ad Hoc Committee continue to meet to further program implementation until the Historic Preservation Board is established. The next recommendation of the committee is to apply for "Certified Local Government status". It was pointed out that CLG designation made the City eligible for certain grants that others would not qualify for and provided the City an advantage in grant application rankings for other grants. It was noted that the certification process can be a complex and time-consuming process, which can only begin after the ordinance is adopted and the Board established. Chair Adams then reviewed the next recommendation, "Creation of a Grant Fund". The components of grant funding were discussed, including the need for dollars to be used as a cash match for certain grants and the fact that certain grants allow matches that include materials and in-kind services. It was also noted that the establishment of a grant fund would allow for donations to support historic preservation and that some grants allow the use of other grant dollars as a partial or full match. The next recommendation of the committee is the "Creation of a Local Historic Preservation Register". Discussion points under this heading include the creation of historic districts, creation of a list of contributing structures, possibility of individually designating structures, application for designation of structures and districts on the National Register and Florida Master Site File. The last recommendation of the committee is, "The Appointment of a Full-time Historic Preservation Planner". Several bullet points were discussed under this heading, beginning with the anticipated cost savings associated with having an in-house professional versus the use of consultants. In that same vein, it was believed that there would be greater consistency with an in-house professional as opposed utilizing a variety of consultants for various aspects of the program. The committee also noted the importance of having the expertise on staff to discuss with professional architects the cost of renovations, the condition of a property/need for demolition, and the type of architectural/structural improvements appropriate for the style of building. It was also noted that inner-agency 2 Meeting Minutes Historic Preservation Committee Boynton Beach, FL December 6, 2010 cooperation could be enhanced and that expertise could be shared with the CRA on issues with historic structures and possible project management cost savings to the CRA on projects involving historic structures. There was discussion that the individual could help with public education and primarily act as a liaison with property owners in the field, on the phone and in office visits, to assist with property improvements, grant information and tax incentives. The preservation planner would also be responsible for researching and applying for historic preservation grants, act as the City's representative at County, State and National levels and provide publicity for the program and the City. Further discussion ensued regarding an in-house historic preservation planner. Chair Adams noted that the City of Delray Beach recently authorized the re-survey of four (4) historic districts at a cost of approximately $34,000. He stated that these were re-surveys which updated information and inventory within previously surveyed districts, and that the cost would have been considerably more for the initial inventory of each of those districts. He believed the cost was probably twice that of having an in-house preservation planner prepare the surveys. The committee agreed and believed an in-house preservation planner would be more intimately familiar with the districts and properties in particular, as opposed to an outside consultant. The Committee discussed the potential arguments of using existing staff or interns to accomplish many of the tasks. Chair Adams believed the hiring of a preservation planner ensured a quicker and more efficient start-up of the program, a greater focus on the programs and associated tasks as opposed to existing staff splitting time between other duties, and the potential of the work product suffering due to other duties. Questions were posed to Mike Rumpf, Planning & Zoning Director as to the expertise of staff and potential advantages/disadvantages. Mr Rumpf indicated that existing staff was not formally schooled/trained in historic preservation, but had been exposed to aspects of similar programs and processes. He further noted that, at times of budget cutbacks, it's typical for the administration to try to maximize the use of existing staff and resources. The next slide in the PowerPoint presentation is the "Suggested Timeline" for the Historic Preservation Program. Chair Adams presented the timeline and rationale behind the suggested dates. After considerable discussion, the consensus of the committee was to make slight adjustments to the timeline for the City Commission presentation. The revised timeline reflects action items to occur between January and September of 2011, beginning with the advertising for a Historic Preservation Planner in January or February. In March/April, conduct interviews for the position. In Mayor June, select the candidate for the position. The Historic Preservation Planner would start work in the beginning of July. The following slide depicts the Historic Preservation Planner's tasks during the July through September, 2011 timeframe. Chair Adams reviewed each bullet point, giving a brief explanation associated with each point, beginning with the preservation planner's initial research to identify potential historic districts; draft the necessary application forms and 3 Meeting Minutes Historic Preservation Committee Boynton Beach, FL December 6, 2010 establish associated fees; inform and educate other departments on historic preservation; establishing a point of contact for residents/business owners; draft application and advertise for Historic Preservation Board members; contact the State and begin Certified Local Government (CLG) application; draft design guidelines; conduct presentations to educate residents/business owners. The final slide depicts the "2012 Fiscal Year - Implementation of full Historic Preservation Program". At the conclusion of the slide presentation, the committee discussed the method of presentation before the City Commission. It was determined that Chair Adams would make the presentation of the recommendations and would attempt to keep the presentation to approximately seven (7) minutes. The decision was also made to run the Public Service Announcement (PSA) immediately prior to the PowerPoint presentation. Chair Adams noted he would have handouts for the Commissioners with a breakdown of the costs associated with the program and the savings associated with having an in-house Preservation Planner. 4. Summarize tasks or accomplishments for next meeting Mr. Breese indicated that the committee members should look at the publiC education information previously given to them, consider alternative formats such as the tri-fold, postcard and any other types, and be prepared to discuss their thoughts at the next meeting. The committee requested that the previous flyer be e-mailed to them as a basis for their thoughts and recommendations. Mr. Breese indicated he would provide it in an e- mail to each member. 5. Staff comments Staff had no additional comments at this time. 6. Public comments None. 7. Announce date of next meeting The next meeting date of January 10th was selected. 8. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, the meeting properly adjourned at 7:14 p.m. --. Ed Breese Principal Planner 4