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Minutes 12-09-13 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BLVD., BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 09, 2013 AT 6:30 P.M. PRESENT: Roger Cope, Chair Warren Adams, Historic Preservation Planner Michelle Dion, Vice Chair Eric Salomonsson Jason Shaffer Linda Stabile Barbara Ready, Alternate Susan Oyer, Alternate ABSENT: Dr Ginger Pedersen Robert Weiss 1. Pledge of Allegiance Chair Cope called the meeting to order at 6 32 p.m and the members recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag 2. Agenda Approval Warren Adams, Historic Resource Preservation Planner, added Item 6 New Business B Florida Week League of Cities Award Motion Ms Ready moved to approve the amended agenda Ms Oyer seconded the motion that unanimously passed 3. Approval of Minutes Mr. Adams had the following changes • Under Old Business, Item 5A should read "Historic Designation of the Boynton Hills Lights" • Under New Business, Item 6A fifth line from the bottom "pal-lad-I-um Palladian style" • Page five, second paragraph . "Mr Adams had noted the fence wall" • Page seven, last line "peti pecks cypress doors" 1 MEETING MINUTES HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA DECEMBER 9, 2013 Motion Ms Ready moved to approve the amended minutes. Ms Dion seconded the motion that unanimously passed. Mr. Adams noted Ms. Pedersen and Mr Weiss would not be attending the meeting. 4. Communications and Announcements Mr Adams welcomed new alternate, Ms. Susan Oyer. Ms. Oyer stated she is a social studies teacher, she also teaches civics, economics and U S history She currently works at Boca Middle School Ms. Oyer looks forward to contributing to the Board. 5. Old Business A Lake Boynton Estates Gate Post Proposed Designation Mr Adams stated the Board wanted to move ahead with the gate post designation and he has started his research, however, the report is not complete yet. There were a number of gate posts in various locations around the subdivision but this is the only one left. There was discussion at the last meeting about possibly relocating the post, however, Mr. Adams felt it would be better to get it designated first and then decide what to do from there. The Board's recommendation for a designation application is in process. B Celebration of Conrad Pickel Conrad Pickel was a well renowned stained glass designer who designed many stained glass windows around the world Mr Pickel lived and worked in Boynton Beach Plans for a celebration of his life will take place on May 24, 2014. A second meeting with Mr. Adams, Ginger Pedersen, Janet DeVries and Debby Coles -Dobay took place to discuss the celebration in conjunction with the Historical Society. Mr. Adams discovered a newspaper article which suggested the industrial units on NE 4 th Street may have been one of Mr Pickel's workshops. The photocopy of the picture does not show the name of the street which is significant to verify these were Mr Picket's workshops. Mr Pickel also had a home in Pompano Beach which he designed Since the house is in Pompano Beach it will not be included on the tour but the City of Pompano Beach will provide the original construction drawings from 1967. However, the drawings will only have notes next to the windows saying, "stained glass by owner" Ms Ready inquired if Mr Adams contacted the current owner to ask if pictures can be taken of the home Mr. Adams replied he would let the City of Pompano Beach approach the owners if necessary. Ms. Ready also suggested looking up the address on PAPA to send the owner a letter of request as well Mr. Adams commented he would contact Mr. Picket's son Paul to see if he may have the original drawings 2 MEETING MINUTES HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA DECEMBER 9, 2013 Mr Adams commented the house is not at the 50 year mark and not eligible for designation. He did not feel it was appropriate to contact the owners or the City of Pompano Beach to make them feel they should designate the house C Grant Awards Update The grant award agreement for the Heritage Trail signs has been signed by the City Commission and sent to the Division of Historical Resources. There was an option in the agreement to ask for extra time prior to actually commissioning anyone to do the signs and Mr. Adams took advantage of this option The City has still not received official confirmation of its ranking for the 2014 -2015 grant for the smart phone application; however, a preliminary report indicates the City was ranked first D Heritage Trail Signs Mr. Adams previously sent a draft design to the Board members for their comments The general consensus was the overall appearance is fine but some felt there were too many words and people would not take the time to read the plaque A suggestion to have bullet points to cut down the wording was fine with the State but Mr. Adams asked the members for their opinions. The idea of the QR code (quick response code) to get more information for those who wanted it would also cut down on the words. Ms. Oyer suggested using something fancier than dots for the bullets, maybe use the sailfish or the Boynton logo instead. Mr. Adams stated the original proposal was for 12 signs at a cost of $15,000 However, because these quotes are almost two years old, Mr Adams has contacted a few other companies for quotes on how much 12 signs would cost or how many signs could be purchased for $15,000 Ms Ready inquired if the information on the signs has been checked to be true and accurate. Mr Adams replied part of the donated services was for the Library's archivist's time to make sure the information is correct. The Historical Society has offered to help as well to make sure the information is accurate The state has to approve each sign and Mr Adams would like some of the members' input as well Mr Adams will email pictures of the final signs as he gets them Ms Ready inquired how the signs will be maintained and Mr. Adams replied the request included the signs to be protected against vandalism and sunlight. They are being designed so the facade of the signs can be replaced in the future if needed The plaques will be displayed on aluminum frames anchored to concrete in the ground. Chair Cope commented the plaque is 24" x 12" which is not very big. Mr Adams replied the reason the signs are 24" x 12" is there is no Planning permission required. The building permits still have to be paid for but the Building Department has agreed to de-ene accept one set of engineering drawings instead of a set for each plaque 3 MEETING MINUTES HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA DECEMBER 9, 2013 There will be one or two signs in the park on Ocean Avenue. Because it is close to the downtown area where the old train station used to be, there can be discussion about farming also. There will be another sign at the entrance to the marina, perhaps discussing the bridge and the history behind how the split between Ocean Ridge and Boynton Beach came about There will be another sign near the Intracostal at the marina and the sign can be about the Intracostal, fishing and the marina The trail is designed not only as a historic trail but as an economic development tool to draw people to the downtown area and local businesses Mr Adams explained money was included in the grant for the production of brochures which will have a map of the downtown trail and the cemetery trail. The brochures will also have the QR codes to use them in the classrooms as well Teachers can scan the codes, discuss the information and then perhaps take the class on a field trip to the trail. This is a wonderful concept for tourism as well. Mr Adams suggested perhaps each sign could have the name, the year it was built, the owner, the name of the architect and one interesting feature. This could be used as a template for each one, however, that may be boring or not have enough information. Ms Oyer commented it would not be enough to excite someone interested in history Mr Adams stated he would try to condense the wording and then send it out to the Board for feedback. Ms Ready asked if the wording in fine print at the bottom had to be included Mr Adams responded it is required to indicate where funding came from It either has to be on every sign or on a smaller plaque attached to the sign post but that will cost extra. This wording has to be in every brochure as well Mr Shaffer offered to help photo shop the sign design and Mr Adams will send him the draft designs E 918 SE 4 th Street Potential Relocation This house is on SE 4 th Street and the Women's Circle that is to the north of this home is expanding Their plans do not include this house but they are reluctant to tear it down There is a potential buyer for the home who may be willing to move it to another location The potential new owners contacted Mr Adams and they are very interested and are doing whatever they can to make this project work The last contact Mr Adams had was an email stating they are still working on it and still very interested in buying and relocating the house F Mission Statement It was suggested to keep the mission statement from the Ad Hoc Committee and add to it Robert Weiss emailed a few ideas to Mr Adams. Mr Shaffer commented it is very important for people to know what the Board does, how they do it and most importantly, why. The line that Mr Weiss added to the end of the statement seems to say it all. Ms Ready and Ms. Oyer agreed the statement was fine as it is and just add the last line as Mr. Weiss recommended. Mr Adams will try to condense it and have it for the next meeting for final approval 6. New Business A Wells Subdivision Research 4 MEETING MINUTES HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA DECEMBER 9, 2013 Mr Adams stated about 5 -6 weeks ago he was contacted by Mr. Bernard Wright. His great grandfather was Robert Wells who created the Wells subdivision. Mr. Wells was one of the original settlers who were involved in establishing the AME Church which is the oldest congregation in the City Mr. Wright wants to find a way to recognize his great grandfather for his contributions to Boynton Beach. Mr Adams explained one of the problems they are facing is none of the buildings Mr. Wells actually lived in exist anymore. However, Mr Wright pointed out to Mr Adams that Northeast 10 Avenue or Martin Luther King, Jr Boulevard, was actually the original Black downtown area of the City This is where all the stores were; where everyone went for a haircut and where the bars and nightclubs were. Many of the big names of the time played at the clubs in the downtown area It was the hub of the Black community at the time Minister Bernard Wright 713 NW 2 nd Street explained he is the only son of five children He is the patriarch of the Wells Family here in Boynton Beach. Mr Robert Wells was his great grandfather who came to Florida from the Bahamas in the late 1800s and established what is now known as Wells Avenue Mr Wells homesteaded all the land on the south side which is now Martin Luther King, Jr Boulevard. Robert Wells contributed to his community by giving away much of his land. The Wells/Wright family had four lots on which their house stood and was torn down by the City. The house was 100 years old and Mr. Wright stated he tried to have it designated but due to personal issues was not able to do so Mr Wright originally contacted the Historic Society and was referred to Mr. Adams who is helping him get his great grandfather, Mr Robert Wells the recognition he deserves Mr. Wright would like to have an outreach program that will continue to give the history of what Mr Wells did for the community Perhaps recreate what some of the buildings looked like when Mr Wells first came to Boynton Beach and what Ocean Avenue looked like at that time when he also had a house near the beach Mr Wright and Mr Adams came before the Board to ask for their advice, ideas and direction on how to get the word out to the community for a call for any pictures or documents that would possibly help recreate the history of Robert Wells and his involvement with Boynton Beach. Ms Dion commented there are many older people still in the communities who are great resources and should be utilized for the information they could provide Even without pictures the history could be told and maybe incorporated into the Heritage Trail Mr Adams explained he is working with Mr Wright (from memory) to create a rendering of where the buildings used to be such as where the service station was, where the Clyde's Bar, Bahama Bar, Dew Drop Inn, The Continental and other buildings used to stand. Clyde's Bar, which is near the Wells subdivision, still exists and may be eligible for designation. There are also a few houses from 1930 and 1950 which are also eligible for designation. There were many ideas from the Board Ms Oyer suggested finding someone who could possibly make architectural drawings of the buildings that are there now to refresh Mr Wright's memory of what used to be there, 5 MEETING MINUTES HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA DECEMBER 9, 2013 • Ms Ready suggested putting an ad in the newspaper for anyone who has pictures or documents; • Ms. Ready suggested adding Mr Well's name to the pedestal of names in the park of Black community people who have contributed to the community. • Invite the community to the Sims Center for an outreach session and let people know about the City's ad valorem program as well Ms Ready commented having a meeting in the Sims Center would bring a lot of people together that would probably snowball with the amount of people that would have pictures, stories, documents and other information from that time Mr. Wright also suggested getting pictures from the Police Department because that was a high crime area and the Police were heavily involved because of the clubs and bars in the downtown area Ms Ready asked Mr Wright if the CRA demolished the home and Mr. Wright responded affirmatively Mr Wright explained when he received the letter about property taxes it stated the amount due was almost $89,000. Mr Wright's son contacted City Hall and was not getting anything resolved. His son hired an attorney who later was arrested for fraud which pushed everything back and the house was eventually torn down Mr. Shaffer said this would be a great documentary that could eventually be attached to the website for next year. Mr. Adams also had an idea to apply for a grant next year This project would do much better with the support of the Board. Mr Salomonsson spoke about a project he was involved with in Massachusetts which was to put together a community "bring out what you have" day. Many people brought out articles and artifacts that had to be catalogued and kept in a file system for future retrieval. Word of mouth was a very effective way of getting the word out to people. Perhaps Mr. Wright could do something at his church to have people bring whatever they have and make photocopies to keep a record of who brought what Ms Ready inquired if Mr Wright could help get the word out by going to various churches with flyers Mr Wright said he would have no problem doing that Motion Ms Ready moved to initiate steps to establish an outreach neighborhood gathering to begin the process of collecting information Ms Oyer seconded the motion that unanimously passed Mr Adams would like to contact the media to let them know this is a new project and Mr Wright will be approaching people asking for information on behalf of the Board. It would give Mr Wright credibility to be able to tell people he has the full support of the City to do this project 6 MEETING MINUTES HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA DECEMBER 9, 2013 B Florida Week League of Cities Award Boynton Beach was ranked first in the state for the Heritage Education Program. This is the City's first award and it will be presented by the Florida League of Cities at one of the City Commission meetings either in December or January By the end of this year, four designations will be added to the local register Doing things like the Wells Avenue project are good for the City and it has been a really significant year Boynton Beach and the Preservation Program are getting noticed every year Mr Adams wanted to thank the Board for their continued support and offering direction Ms Ready commented she would like to see more outreach done next year It would also be a good opportunity to give people in the community information that the Board exists and how they can get help if they need it Mr. Adams stated with projects like the relocation of the house on SE 4 Street and with so much positive publicity outreach will be taken more seriously because people are seeing the benefit of historic preservation 7. Other Mr. Adams wanted to announce the City is updating its Comprehensive Plan The Comprehensive Plan states the goals and aspirations the City wants to achieve in the upcoming five years The last time this was done the Preservation Program did not exist. Mr. Adams is working on the preservation portion in regards to designating sites and making sure the City keeps the CLG certification and continues outreach education 8. Comments By Members None. 9. Public Comments Audrey Gerger 331 NW 1 Avenue spoke about the brochures Mr Adams mentioned and asked if the trail brochures will be numbered to coincide with the signs. Mr. Adams responded the brochures will have a map of the trail and will show where the signs are. People will also be able to scan the QR codes on the brochures for additional information Ms Gerger also wanted to mention she and her husband are owners of a printing company if there is an issue of shortening the words on the signs However, Mr Adams stated the printing company he is working with has already said the price will not change regardless of the wording Ms. Gerger ended her comments 10. Announce Date of Next Meeting The next meeting is scheduled for January 13, 2014. Ms Ready wanted to announce Ms Janet DeVries, the new President of the Historical Society, got the State to give a marker for the Boynton Beach Inlet The Historical Society, in conjunction with Palm Beach County Commissioners and Recreation and Parks (because the 7 MEETING MINUTES HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA DECEMBER 9, 2013 Inlet Park is a County park), will be having an unveiling of the marker. The marker is significant because the inlet had an economic impact to the area Ms Ready will email the date and time. There is a $25 fee to loin the Society and Ms Ready will send the information on how to loin as well Ms Salomonsson wanted to add another suggestion to the Wells Avenue project He worked with college students in the history program who were to go into the community and find 5 -6 people and record an oral history of each one and then transcribe the information The project was a great success because they were able to tap into the resources of the older generation of people who may not be here much longer Oral histories may be another way to get information for the Wells Avenue project 11. Adjournment Having no further business, Chair Cope adjourned the meeting at 7 p m. C celiorales Records Coordinator 12/11/13 6 hours 8