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Minutes 02-09-15 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BLVD., BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9,2015, AT 6:30 P.M. PRESENT: Roger Cope, Chair Warren Adams, Historic Preservation Planner Susan Oyer Dr. Ginger Pedersen Barbara Ready Eric Salomonsson (arrived 6:44 p.m.) Jason Shaffer ABSENT: Michelle Dion, Vice Chair 1. Pledge of Allegiance Chair Cope called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m., followed by the members reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. 2. Agenda Approval There were no changes made to the agenda. Motion Ms. Ready moved to approve the agenda as presented. Ms. Oyer seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 3. Approval of Minutes The minutes were not available. 4. Communications and Announcements Warren Adams, Historic Preservation Planner, advised he attended a Roaring 20s Celebration on Saturday at the Woman's Club. The event was a fundraiser to help pay for restoration of the building and windows. He advised it was a good event that was very well attended. A silent auction was held and he hoped they raised a lot of money. He noted they were appreciative of the City's support for the restoration of the building. Ms. Oyer attended the Kinetic Art Symposium and commented it was a good event. She also stated at the end of the month, the Schoolhouse Reunion Bash be an all-day 1 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 9, 2015 event, continuing into the evening. Chair Cope advised it was free and open to the public during the day, but there was a fee for the evening activities. It was noted Tania Rogers from Channel 5, would be present at this fundraiser which would benefit the Museum. 5. Old Business: A. Cultural Resources Mobile Application update Mr. Adams advised he has 200 GPS points, and 149 sites on the application. When completed with this phase, there would be about 160 sites. He also advised the more sites they include, the more pages he has to create. Mr. Adams pointed out the Board had decided to include sites that were demolished and/or were vacant that formerly had a historic structure. These will be developed over time. Mr. Adams had apprised the State they would have 50 sites, and there would be more than three times that amount. He was unaware of anyone else that had this many sites on a Smartphone application. Mr. Adams explained when passing the site, a page would open with the name of the site, the address, and at least one photograph. If there was more than one photograph available, thumbnails of the various photographs would appear that can be touched and expanded. Mr. Adams preferred to be able to scroll through the page, but was unsure that could be put in place. Below the photograph, information containing the style and period of construction, the date of construction and any other significant details on the building would be included. One goal was to make each of those fields searchable. About 10 of the most significant sites would have audio. They would also like to include a link to the designation report and involve individuals associated with the buildings to give a more personal account. Victor Norfus gave a presentation of Robert Wells and the Wells Subdivision, and he agreed, in addition to reading information on the designation reports, he would give a presentation on those points of information, providing a local perspective. He would also be solicited to give information on St. Paul's AE Church and perhaps Barton Cemetery. Mr. Adams anticipated each audio presentation would be between one and 10 minutes. Mr. Adams explained the audio for the significant sites can be translated into Spanish and Creole would be included in funding available. b. Wells Avenue research update Mr. Adams explained he met with Minister Bernard Wright and Victor Norfus to discuss what sites they wanted on the Smartphone Application and they were added. They had used a 1953 aerial overlay and knew all the buildings. He hoped it would encourage individuals to travel Wells Avenue and excite them about its history. Articles were in the paper about the project encouraging residents to come forward with photographs and information. Mr. Adams also advised he had requested access to Code Compliance 2 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 9, 2015 files from Police Chief Katz, since many structures were torn down due to Code violations. Chief Katz gave permission to proceed and Mr. Adams hoped photographs would be available. The information would be used to build 3-D renderings of the structures and he hoped to rebuild much of what was there. It was also hoped they could obtain photographs of the Continental Club where musicians such as BB King, Tina Turner and James Brown purportedly played. A proclamation regarding Robert Wells was issued acknowledging the history of the area, which the City supported. Black History Month events were scheduled and Mr. Adams, when asked, agreed to speak at some of them. This would help show the community the Wells Avenue project was a serious project. He could also educate the public about the ad valorem program for historic properties A suggestion was made to work in conjunction with the CRA because Mr. Adams' preservation efforts were something the CRA endorsed. Mr. Adams thought they were approaching the project the correct way and the results were now starting to gain support. They started with Wells Avenue, but his efforts would also focus on other residents, families and contributions. Mr. Adams clarified when he speaks with residents, he informs them he is not interested in keeping their photographs. He brings a portable scanner and makes a copy. 6. New Business: A. Model Block house design Mr. Adams reviewed the Model Block boundaries where new homes would be constructed. The City and CRA sought to make this a model block for future developers to work from, and the plan was to make the homes special. The initial designs were reviewed and Mr. Adams and Planner Amanda Parker drafted several suggestions to incorporate elements to create a greater historic character. Suggestions made were to: • lower the roof pitch • install shingles rather than metal sheath roof • add full wood siding or apply stucco to give the appearance of wood siding • add a porch to encourage families to spend time on the porch and interact with neighbors • remove accordion shutters • install decorative louvre shutters • replace the garage with a carport or install a lesser make garage door • install a full chimney. Staff met with the architect and most of their suggestions were agreed with apart from the carport and full chimney. The changes were contingent on cost. The homes would be slightly more expensive, but the home design was far more interesting. The front of 3 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 9, 2015 the home would have the appearance of a wood frame home. Another suggestion was to plant Poinciana trees. Mr. Adams was unsure who would develop the homes and agreed to apprise the Board who it was when finalized. Discussion followed about criteria for potential owners to maintain the home. Mr. Adams explained that was under discussion and a Homeowners Association or some other entity to ensure the homes were maintained was under consideration. The hope was to construct these homes and refer other developers to the area, and he agreed to research who would build the homes. There were incentives available to construct the homes, but the price of the home had to be commensurate with the neighborhood prices and what the area could support. It was noted Habitat for Humanity and the CDC have requirements the homeowners have to reside in the home for a time certain. Mr. Adams agreed to email the name of the architect to Chair Cope. B. Barton Memorial Park Cemetery background and history Mr. Adams advised that there would be a designation report made at the next meeting and he provided the background of the Park. The members viewed an aerial showing its boundaries, easements, and the 1 -95 sound wall, which was contained in the meeting materials. The Florida Department of Transportation (FT) retained a portion of the Cemetery in order to maintain the sound wall and conveyed the rest of the land back to the City. Mr. Adams, as part of the designation process, would have to notify surrounding property owners and the FT, and they would be allowed to make comments and raise concerns or objections. Once the site was designated, they would have to have a management plan detailing what could and could not be done. They would have a right of access on the south side of the Park to maintain the sound wall. Presently, if access was needed, one would have to go through the Park to the wall and there was a huge tree there that would likely be protected, but Mr. Adams did not want anyone to drive through the Cemetery. Photographs of the site were viewed and Mr. Adams wanted to have the issues resolved with the FDOT before designation. Mr. Adams provided a background of Barton Memorial Park as contained in the meeting materials. The site had different marker styles and a veteran's grave. The earliest grave was 1920, but the date of the earliest burials was unknown. They are 20 existing grave markers and a burial list of 58. He did not know how far beyond the sound wall Barton Cemetery extended. The FDOT drawing did not show the Cemetery any further north than where the known burials were. Barton Memorial Park was an unofficial cemetery that was not maintained, but it was City land. It appeared to be intact, but Mr. Adams could not say for sure. In 2002, the site was conveyed to the City of Boynton Beach and in 2012, ground penetrating radar was used. Some bodies were likely completely decayed. All the radar showed was anomalies, but they could not be certain they were bodies. The first talk of relocation occurred when the FDOT planned 1 -95 to go through the Cemetery in the 40s. Concerns of the condition of Barton Memorial Park occurred in the 1970s, Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 9, 2015 which led to its clean up. When 1-95 was constructed in the 70s, there was no mention of any burial relocations and Ms. Barton indicated FDOT had re-aligned 1-95. When Sara Sims Memorial Gardens opened in 1958, burials stopped at Barton. Only one burial occurred thereafter, and the woman received permission to be buried next to her husband. Mr. Adams had a list of burials and plot numbers in Sara Sims showing where decedents from Barton would be moved to, but each lot in Sara Sims was unknown. The Clerk's Office records did not show relocations. Radar was also used at Sara Sims, but nothing showed. Mr. Adams explained the application had to show historical significance, fit into a category and the site had to have integrity. Mr. Adams commented they could not prove how much integrity the Cemetery had or where decedents were relocated to, but he wanted the members to have the background information. Ms. Shaffer thought the ambiguity added to the site's significance, and it would be protected, but the Board had to determine if the site warranted historic designation. A suggestion was made Black churches may have archived records. Mr. Salomonsson thought there would be some records showing when bodies were moved. C. Forest Park HA presentation Mr. Adams announced he was giving a presentation at Forest Park HOA on February 19 This was the second time he would speak with them. There was a lot of interest in the homes there and he hoped it would lead to a designation application. He noted many of the homes were more than 50 years old and were post-war styled. He hoped to start gauging reactions and he hoped many residents would come forward and seek designation. Mr. Adams explained the State of Georgia produced guidelines on what made a post- war home significant and believed it came down to education. He would not want to designate six blocks of concrete block homes and thought they should pick a good example of the style. 7. Other Mr. Adams explained they may have to change the meeting night. After brief discussion the second Thursday of the month was selected, but it was hoped they would not have to change. Mr. Adams agreed to apprise the Board. 8. Comments by members Ms. Ready announced she purchased the Historian Newsletter. The cost was $25 and was tax deductible. She also announced a talk about President Roosevelt would be held on February 16 at the Woman's Club. 5 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida February 9, 2015 9. Public comments None. 10. Announce date of next meeting — March 9, 2015 Chair Cope announced the date of the next meeting. 11. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, Chair Cope adjourned the meeting at 7:43 p.m. Catherine her Minutes Specialist 021015 6