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Minutes 10-10-11 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011 AT 6:30 P.M. IN CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Eric Jones, Chair Dr. Ginger Pederson, Vice Chair Michelle Dion (arr. 6:39 p.m.) Paul Gionfriddo Eric Salomonsson Linda Stabile Harvey Rosenblum, Alternate Barbara Ready, Alternate Warren Adams, Historic Resource Preservation Planner ABSENT: Christiane Francois 1. Call to Order Chair Jones called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. Self introductions were made and a quorum was established. 2. Pledge of Allegiance The Board members recited the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. Agenda Approval There were no additions or deletions to the agenda. Motion Vice Chair Pederson moved to approve the agenda. The motion was seconded by Ms. Stabile and unanimously passed. 4. Approval of Minutes Ms. Ready advised on page 1, it was noted that Eric Salmonsson was absent, but he was actually late and present. In addition, on page 11, last paragraph, it was stated that Mike Rumpf issued the RFP for the Old High School; it should read the City Commission issued the RFP. Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, FL October 10, 2011 Motion Vice Chair Pederson moved to approve the minutes as amended. The motion was seconded by Ms. Stabile and unanimously passed. 5. Communications and Announcements Ms. Ready advised that on October 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the first downtown open market wouldtake place at the Civic Center. There would be arts and crafts, vintage items, and ten gourmet food wagons, among other things. There would be one every month through May and would draw many people to the downtown area. Ms. Stabile mentioned that the Board members should think about becoming members of the Boynton Beach Historical Society. They have great programs and could be a good learning experience. Their meetings had been on the same day as this Board meets, but indicated the last few meetings are on different dates. Vice Chair Pederson advised that October 1 ih will be the Boynton Beach Historical Society monthly presentation at the Library. Chair Jones expressed his appreciation for his election as Chair of the Board. He provided a brief history of his involvement with the Ad Hoc Committee and his background. He reiterated that the Board was put together to move forward to the next step. He advised the Board could suggest or file a form for a site to be preserved or be put into the local register. It would then be sent to the Commission for approval. For the record, he stated it was essential the motions made be very clear and specific, as law and precedent were being made. The more clearly the motions were made, the less likely there could be problems in the future. If an issue was complicated, motions could be split into other motions to provide a clear record of what was being done. This was called "legislative intent". 6. Old Business A. Update on the Grant Funded Educational Brochure Mr. Adams provided copies of the brochures to the members of the Board. He advised the funding came from the Boynton Beach Historical Society and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Five thousand copies of each of the brochures were printed. The first 1,500 copies of one brochure were mailed to residents who may own properties that could be affected by the new Historic Preservation Program. An additional 1,500 copies of a second and third brochure had been mailed. He advised some calls were received, mostly supportive. One resident stated, in fact, if the tax incentives are applied, he would be willing to restore his property to its original 1946 status. The brochures are also in various locations throughout the City. 2 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, FL October 10, 2011 From the total monies that were provided, $212.24 remained. Mr. Adams indicated he had contacted the Historical Society to inquire if they wanted the money refunded or if, perhaps, it could be held and used in the future. The final report for The National Trust was completed and was reviewed by the City Grant Coordinator. It would be sent to The National Trust and this should close out the program. B Update on the Progress of the Historic Preservation Program Mr. Adams provided an update of where the program was in certain aspects. With regard to the Certified Local Government (CLG) Application, he explained that this status was recognition from the State and the Federal Government that the City's Historic Preservation Program is in line with their program. It would require certain things, like resumes, and completion of the form he provided to each member. The Ordinance was also reviewed and he indicated he made several recommendations changes to the Ordinance. It was currently with the Division of Historical Resources for their review. They would review the Ordinance, return it and advise if anything was required to be added or deleted. They also have a set of Rules of Procedure for the Board. Mr. Adams advised when he was in receipt of the material, it would have to be approved by the Board and adopted by the City Commission. The changes in the Ordinance are minor. One change was that if a board member leaves, a replacement would be appointed within 60 days. Also, having CLG status would open up the possibility of federal grants, as a portion of grants are specifically set aside for CLGs. This also allows the Board to review and meet recommendations on National Register applications. On the Consent Agenda at the City Commission meeting, there was a commitment letter from the City connecting themselves and accepting the CLG requirements. With regard to the design guidelines, this would be produced by the Board so historic property owners and people in historic districts have a set of guidelines to follow. Mr. Adams informed the Board he had already completed the beginning section which included the description of the Historic Preservation Planner , his position, applications and procedures, rehabilitation and history of the City. With regard to the tax incentive program scheme, a draft of the proposed interlocal agreement was completed, based on the agreement the City of West Palm Beach had with the County. It still had to be reviewed by the City Attorney. This could not be finalized until the certification of the CLG. Mr. Adams noted he had been working with the GIS department. They took all the information received from the Division of Historical Resources regarding properties currently in the Florida Master Site File. They showed up on the GIS program. They linked the GIS system with the Property Appraiser's system, so now there are construction dates for every property within the City boundaries. The dates, of course, 3 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, FL October 10,2011 would have to be checked. The program split the properties into decades, from 1900- 1909, 1910-1919, and so on up to 1959. Vice Chair Pederson inquired what the oldest house was and Mr. Adams advised it was around the 1900's, which was what exists at the moment. He advised that was not all that was built in those decades and a lot had been torn down. In the future, the GIS system will include the historic plaques, historic street names, and possibly information on the plots of the cemetery off NW 5th Street. Mr. Adams advised the last survey was completed in 1996 and identified properties constructed before 1946. That survey identified properties, six of which had National Register potential and 36 of which were individually eligible for local designation. Based on the initial numbers from the GIS survey, there would probably be approximately 2,000 properties that would have to be surveyed for the Florida Master Site File. The Florida Master Site File would like a form for each property. Not all properties would be eligible for designation. The Children's Museum recently won a competition for a $10,000 sign makeover. They contacted Mr. Adams to ask for advice on the design of the sign and the placement of it. The Children's Museum is on the National Register. He contacted the Division of Historical Resources to determine if there were any guidelines regarding signs and indicated there are none. They have guidelines for historic signs as far as maintenance. They recommended a free-standing sign. There had never been a record of a sign being placed on the building. The Planning Department would be working with the Museum to accomplish this. Mr. Adams advised that a new Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued for the Old Boynton Beach High School. The RFP had been prepared, but the City Commission wanted to include more information on the potential tax incentives that a rehabilitation project could generate. He explained there were a number of different tax incentives that properties could get. The one that is most applicable to the Old High School was the 20% Income Producing Property Tax Incentive. For certified rehabilitations, the property owner could get a 20% tax credit for any future income tax. To be eligible, a building would have to be in the National Register. The property would not qualify for tax credit incentives if it were on the Local Register. It would either have to be in the National Register or it would have to be included in a local certified historic district or any historic district which would be potentially eligible for listing in the National Register. The quickest way to make the property eligible for the tax credits was to list on the National Register. If it was listed in the National Register, only what was approved by the Division of Historic Resources would be eligible for the tax credits. There would be advantages and disadvantages to this. The Division of Historic Resources would want a significant amount of the interior retained. If tax credits were the main focus, the facade, in addition, to the interior had to be retained. The disadvantage would be it may turn away some potential purchasers or developers. The advantage would be that it 4 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, FL October 10, 2011 was a great way of protecting the interior of the building. However, on the National Register, any applications would not come before the Board. The Board would only get applications if it were on the local level. It was unknown whether the City, being the owner, could claim any of the tax credits because they do not pay any taxes. The City could sell the building and the new owner would be eligible for tax credits, as long as the new owner kept the building for at least five years. Another option would be to designate the building on the Local Register. With that option, proposals would come before the Board for determination. However, the interior of the building would not be protected. The last option would be to do nothing and leave it as it is with no designation. The owner's permission would be required to do any kind of designation. There were questions regarding the survey and the amount of homes included in the survey and Mr. Adams explained in detail what the Florida Master Site File required and the process of designating properties and the steps to get there. There was extensive discussion and opinions on what direction to take with the Old High School. As all members were not familiar with the activities up to the present time, Ms. Ready and Mr. Adams explained the history of the Old High School and what had been done up to this point. Mr. Adams advised it was about equally divided as to the people who wanted to support the High School and those that were against it. Ms. Ready advised that at the recent Charette, sixty people supported it and wanted to see it as a cultural center. Ms. Ready was of the opinion that the Board should vote at this meeting to have Mr. Adams begin the application for local designation which would be brought to the City Commission for a vote, as the City was the owner. There was extensive discussion among the Board members as to the pros and cons of starting an application now based on what Mr. Adams presented as options earlier in the meeting. Motion Ms. Stabile moved to approach the Commission and recommend it be historic and be placed either on the National Register or the Local Register, or both. The motion was seconded by Vice Chair Pederson, with discussion. Mr. Gionfriddo asked for clarification on the motion. Mr. Adams inquired whether the Board wanted him to approach the Commission or would they, as a Board, approach the Commission. The current motion suggested the Board would approach the Commission. There was further discussion among the Board. 5 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, FL October 10, 2011 Motion The motion was amended to direct Mr. Adams to begin the process so that the Commission could be approached to designate the Old High School as historic by being placed either on the National Register, Local Register, or both. The motion passed unanimously. 7. New Business A. Proposed Historic Site Designation Application Form Mr. Adams advised at the last meeting, he was directed to create a Historic Site Designation Application Form. He further advised all cities have different procedures, some charge a fee for the application and some do not. If the Board wanted a fee to be charged, it would have to be approved by the Commission. Mr. Adams asked for feedback on the application from the Board and would answer any questions from the members. Mr. Gionfriddo inquired of the list of 1900 -1959 discussed earlier, would this be the purpose for the application. Mr. Adams explained it was for a resident who wanted their home on the local register and receive tax incentives and recognition of the property. The application was to determine if the property was significant enough. Mr. Gionfriddo inquired how people would know if their house was eligible for designation. Mr. Adams advised if their home was over 50 years old, it may be eligible. Mr. Adams indicated there were approximately 2,000 properties eligible for the Florida Master Site File, but would not necessarily be eligible for individual designation. these wcrc only thcre to be e" . e - - "e _ - - e-- - - : • - . Mr. Gionfriddo asked how the public would be advised of the possibilities. Mr. Adams reiterated the brochures he distributed to the Board went out to 1,500 property owners informing them of the benefits. Some residents had contacted him inquiring about the tax incentives and reiterated that one person indicated if he qualified for the tax incentive, he would be willing to restore his property back to 1946. Mr. Adams also reminded the Board that it was now their responsibility to inform the public that the Historic Preservation Board existed. Motion Mr. Salmonsson moved to set the fee for the application at $15.00, to be revisited in a year. The motion was seconded by Ms. Stabile and was passed 5 -1 (Mr. Gionfriddo dissenting). Mr. Adams indicated he would bring the fee proposal to the City Commission for approval. 6 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, FL October 10, 2011 Motion Ms. Stabile moved to approve the Historic Site Designation Application. The motion was seconded by Mr. Salmonsson and was unanimously passed. 8. Other None. 9. Comments by Members Ms. Dion advised that everyone was invited to an event in Delray Beach, marking a historic home that had been made into a bed and breakfast. The event was scheduled for November 30th. The location was 302 NE yth Avenue. Ms. Ready wanted to thank and praise Mr. Adams for doing a wonderful job so far. All the members concurred. 10. Public Comments None. 11. Announcement of Next Meeting: November 14,2011 12. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:02 p.m. W~~ Ellie Caruso Recording Secretary 7