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Minutes 03-12-12 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2012, AT 6:30 P.M. IN THE CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BOULEVARD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Eric Jones, Chair Warren Adams, Historic Resource Dr. Ginger Pedersen, Vice Chair Preservation Planner Roger Cope Ed Breese, Principal Planner Michelle Dion Paul Gionfriddo Eric Salomonsson (arrived 6 35 p.m ) Linda Stabile Barbara Ready, Alternate Harvey Rosenblum, Alternate 1. Pledge of Allegiance Chair Jones called the meeting to order at 6:28 p.m. The members recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. 2 Agenda Approval There were no additions or deletions to the agenda. Motion Mr. Cope moved to approve the agenda. Ms. Stabile seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 3. Approval of Minutes Motion Mr. Cope moved to approve the minutes Ms. Stabile seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 4. Communications and Announcements Ms. Ready announced the Historical Society was looking for officer candidates for next year. Anyone interested should contact Voncile Smith of the Historical Society, or Ms. Ready. 1 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 12, 2012 5. Old Business: A. Update on the progress of the Historic Preservation Program Warren Adams, Historic Preservation Planner, explained the Certified Local Government (CLG) application was mailed to the Division of Historical Resources on March 1, 2012. It was estimated the review process would take about two months on the State and Federal levels, assuming no major changes to the application were needed. The Preservation Ordinance submitted with the CLG application included all the proposed amendments as they were previously submitted to the State, and he had made changes to it according to the comments that were received. He did not anticipate any problems. The proposed changes were not yet adopted by the City, but they were presently going through the adoption process. Mr. Adams requested the members bear in mind that he was advised by the State the initial review would only take a week, and it took close to three months. The estimate now was two months to go through the entire process and it was hoped the City would receive CLG certification in Tess than a year. The survey work was ongoing. The subdivisions would be surveyed in chronological order; however, the Board requested the Tradewinds subdivision be moved up on the schedule. Accordingly, the incorporated section of the Tradewinds Estates subdivision was surveyed. Ms. Dion had assisted with the survey. Work was ongoing on the Design Guidelines. Mr. Adams hoped to have another update at the next meeting, which should include all the recommendations of the guidelines for proposed work to buildings. That would only leave the History section at the beginning of the Guidelines, a description of the architectural details for the various architectural style, and perhaps information on building materials to be drafted. Mr. Adams was hopeful the Board would have 80% to 90% of the final draft by the next meeting. The Ad Valorem Tax Incentive Program was discussed. Introduction of the program would commence when the City obtained the CLG certification. The Interlocal Agreement was reviewed by the Assistant County Attorney and was now being reviewed by the City Attorney to ensure the wording was appropriate. This program could not be instituted until the CLG certification was obtained. Mr. Adams visited 331 NW 1st Avenue as it pertained to a potential designation. He viewed the interior of the west side of the duplex on March 8, 2012. It was a mirror image of the east side unit and it contained the original fireplace, stairs, woodwork and floors. There were also some fairly old kitchen cabinets but he was unsure of its age. The proposed amendments to the Ordinance made changes to the way designation applications would be processed, and should make them more straightforward. Mr. Adams was researching whether Ms. Gerger's application could be processed through 2 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 12, 2012 the proposed amendment or had to adhere to the procedure contained in the current Ordinance. The latter required an ad to be run in the local newspaper advertising the designation and the proposed amendment removed that requirement. If possible, Audrey Gerger's application would be processed through the new method. The owner was asking to move forward and Mr. Adams offered to start the application this week, as soon as the procedural issues were clarified. An article on the proposed designation and the City's Historic Preservation Program appeared in the Sun Sentinel on February 27, 2012. It was a good article and copies were made available to the members. Some members stopped off at Barton Memorial Cemetery after the High School visit. Most of the work was pretty much done and they were waiting on the final results from the Ground Penetrating Radar Survey. The GPS points were identified and sent to Greg Mount at FAU. The Board was now just waiting on the final report. B. Preservation Month Mr. Adams commented May was Preservation Month and the Board was still looking for ways to celebrate. There would be a City Commission Proclamation issued and he had been speaking with Janet DeVries at the Library. It was hoped something could be done in concert with the Historical Society at the Library. Anyone with ideas should contact him. 6. New Business A Survey of the City incorporated section of the Tradewinds Estates Subdivision Mr. Adams undertook the survey as requested by the Board on February 28, 2012, with Ms. Dion. This subdivision is split between the City and County, with the north side of Old Dixie Highway being City property and the south side in the County. Mr. Adams saw 17 contiguous Tots which could potentially form a district, assuming it met all the requirements. The dwellings were constructed between 1942 and 1982, and his initial research indicated that probably 50% of the dwellings could be classed as contributing. Before the designation process could begin, an application would need to be submitted by a resident of the area and it would have to indicate that more than 50% of the property owners agreed to the designation. The procedure to designate a district was in the process of being streamlined. The majority of the procedure was intact; however, Mr. Adams had to draft the application for them. Many cities combined the district and individual property application forms into one, but Mr. Adams wanted two separate forms to keep the procedure easy and straightforward. Mr. Adams would work on the application this week and it would be available for anyone interested in submitting an application. 3 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 12, 2012 Ms. Stabile explained she would gather her neighbors to approach the owners of most of the identified properties to try to persuade and enlighten them to the advantages of the program. Mr. Adams noted one property owner owned 12 of the properties and the designation hinged on that individual's agreement to participate. Chair Jones offered to meet with the individual as well. B. Proposed Board Rules of Procedure Mr. Adams explained the Historic Preservation Ordinance and the CLG process requires the Board to adopt Rules of Procedure and By -Laws. A copy of the document was emailed to the members for review. He requested comments or questions be emailed to him. He was not 100% clear if they had to be approved by the City Commission so he requested the Board approve the By -Laws and recommend the City Commission approve them as well. The By -Laws could be amended when needed. The members complimented Mr. Adams on the document. Mr. Adams also explained if the City Attorney or City Commission made changes, Mr. Adams would bring the document back to the Board. Motion Ms. Stabile moved the Board adopt the By -Laws and forward them to the City Commission for approval. Mr. Cope seconded the motion that passed 5 -0. Mr. Gionfriddo declared he was abstaining from voting because he did not read it. C. Proposed amendments to Historic Preservation Ordinance to meet CLG requirements Mr. Adams reviewed there were not many proposed amendments made. Some were procedural items the State required and some were clarifications. The only comment from the Division of Historical Resources regarding the amendments was the City had to include two national register properties. The proposed amendments were included with the CLG application and it was possible the State or Federal Government could require further amendments. It was also possible the CLG application would not be approved until the proposed amendments were adopted by the City. When the application was submitted, Mr. Adams included a letter outlining the proposed amendments were in the process of hopefully being adopted by the City. He requested if the members had any questions or suggestions, they email them to him. He also requested a recommendation of approval of the amendments to the City Commission. Mr. Adams explained, apart from the two historic sites, the document contained standard language for other CLG municipalities. 4 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 12, 2012 Motion Dr. Pederson moved to approve the proposed changes to the Ordinance and to forward it to the City Commission for approval. Mr. Salomonsson seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 7. Other Mr. Adams commented he would be speaking with the Forest Park neighborhood and community on March 21, 2012. This community extends from 1 -95 to the railroad tracks, and from Boynton Beach Boulevard to Woolbright Road. He would discuss the Historic Preservation Program, its benefits, and would encourage individuals to consider designation. This community encompassed 331 NW 1st Avenue and there were several potential properties in the area that could be designated as historic. The owner of 331 NW 1st Avenue was pushing for other property owners to attend the meeting. The owners of a mission -style property across the street and another on NW 1st Avenue were interested in designation. It was hoped after the meeting, other owners would apply for designation. The visit to the High School was discussed. Ms. Ready had toured the facility two years ago and was dismayed at the additional deterioration that had occurred. The sooner any restoration could occur, the better it would be. There was a rubber roof on the structure but the building needed to be rehabilitated from the ground up. The windows were repaired but there were some ceiling or roofing tiles that had fallen, allowing sunlight through in some areas. It was thought the humidity was a contributing factor. The floors had deteriorated and in some areas one can fall through, which was not an issue a few years ago. Chair Jones agreed the damage was continuing, but noted the structure seemed stable. The gym appeared to be in good condition but there was water damage. Ms. Dion had brought an aerial and commented it appeared the gym had maintained its integrity. There was water damage to some walls and a lightening strike hit the SE corner of the building causing damage there. The last involvement with the high school was a charette with REG Architects. It was pointed out the City's website posted reports and studies regarding the High School. 8. Comments by members Discussion followed there was a lot of interest in the arts on Florida's east coast. There were two bids issued to bring a major film studio to Palm Beach County. The High School was appropriate for the arts and a suggestion was made for the Board to consider how to apply this building to make money for the community. Mr. Adams explained a Request for Proposal was issued and interested parties viewed the structure, but no proposals were submitted. The Community Redevelopment Agency 5 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 12, 2012 was offering $150,000 to offset costs of the rehabilitation, the City offered to waive the building fees, and the Historic Preservation Board offered to help with the designation application. Mr. Gionfriddo was reaching for possibilities with monetary values, and thought the school was a great opportunity. Chair Jones explained the Board could only proffer an opinion. Mr. Gionfriddo opined a few articles in the Miami Herald and other papers would provide interest. He felt it was important to address an issue that was handed to the Board that was important to the community. 9. Public Comments None. 10. Announce date of next meeting The next meeting was April 9, 2012 11. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, Chair Jones properly adjourned the meeting at 7:05 a.m. Lit _- nLL,- & 1 Catherine Cherry Recording Secretary 031312 6