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Minutes 04-13-15 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BLVD., BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MONDA ON APRIL 13, 2015, AT 6:30 P.M. PRESENT: Michelle Dion, Vice Chair Warren Adams, Historic Preservation Planner Susan Oyer Barbara Ready Eric Salomonsson Jason Shaffer Cheryl Black, Alternate ABSENT: Roger Cope, Chair Dr. Ginger Pedersen 1. Pledge of Allegiance Michelle Dion, Vice Chair, called the meeting to order, in the absence of the Chair, at 6:42 p.m. Mr. Adams introduced new Board member Cheryl Black. She commented she has been a resident of Boynton Beach since January 1988. She owns a 1928 home and works as private gardener. The members welcomed her to the Board. 2. Agenda Approval Mr. Adams added discussion of the Oil Can House on SW 1 Avenue to Item 7, New Business, and Facebook page and calls regarding historic designations to Item 8, Other. Motion Ms. Ready moved to approve the amended agenda. Ms. Black seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 3. Approval of Minutes Mr. Adams had one correction to the March minutes. Item 6, New Business, fourth paragraph as follows, "The City Clerk's records for Sara Sims Barton Cemetery was a handwritten list ..." Motion Ms. Ready moved to approve the minutes as amended. Ms. Black seconded the motion that unanimously passed. Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 13, 2015 4. Election of Chair and Vice Chair Mr. Adams explained the Board's procedures state they should elect a Chair and Vice Chair in April. The last election took place in August 2013, but he wanted to correct the time line. Board officers are elected for one year and can serve for two consecutive terms. Since this last term was not a full term, the members could either extend the term of office or seek nominations. Vice Chair Dion nominated Barbara Ready as Chair. There were no other nominations and Ms. Ready accepted the nomination. Motion Mr. Shaffer moved Ms. Ready serve as Chair. Mr. Salomonsson seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The members congratulated Ms. Ready. Ms. Ready nominated Susan Oyer as Vice Chair. Mr. Shaffer seconded the nomination; however, Ms. Oyer declined the nomination due to time constraints. Motion Mr. Shaffer nominated Mr. Salomonsson. Ms. Oyer seconded the nomination. Mr. Salomonsson accepted the nomination. A vote was taken and unanimously passed. The members congratulated Mr. Salomonsson. 5. Communications and Announcements Mr. Adams announced Dr. Pedersen contacted him advising she could not attend the meeting. 6. Old Business: A. Barton Memorial Park Cemetery Historic Designation Mr. Adams announced the cemetery was now the eighth site on the Local Register and the City Commission approved the Ordinance on second reading. Most people were pleased to see it on the Register. B. Cultural Resources Mobile Application update Mr. Adams advised work on the mobile application was progressing. There are 170 sites included and a lot of work went into the application. An aerial was viewed showing the various site locations. The information was being forwarded to the ITS Department, and they would add it to the application. Mr. Adams noted the application was accessible from 2 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 13, 2015 a regular computer or by phone. One issue for the delay was GIS has only one staff member working on the application. Ms. Oyer inquired if FAU could be brought in as a consultant. Mr. Adams explained if outside help was sought, he would have to obtain three quotes. He preferred to have the work done in -house because ITS was a separate department, and the City could update the app as needed without charge. If a consultant was used, he /she would charge for each update. Mr. Adams explained the plan was to add other items such as blueways, greenways and walking trails to the app. The funds provided the basis for those future additions. C. Wells Avenue research update Mr. Adams explained staff was continuing to research Wells Avenue. The members viewed a 1953 aerial and photographs of the Avenue, BB King, the Silas Green Circus and photographs of homes as they existed at the time. D. North Broward Preparatory School Career Day presentation Mr. Adams was invited by Mr. Salomonsson to make presentations to four classes. Mr. Salomonsson explained for Career Day, Mr. Adams informed students what he does and the students found it interesting. The students study GIS, overlays and cultural landscapes. Mr. Adams offered the students a chance to shadow him at work and one student who was interested in the social science and history field, would shadow him for a day. E. Harbor Master Building Ribbon Cutting and New Heritage Trail Sign Mr. Adams explained the CRA finished building the Harbor Master building. A ribbon - cutting ceremony took place on March 18 As part of the ceremony, the CRA paid for and installed sign number 10 on the Downtown Heritage Trail. The Trail runs from Seacrest to the Intracoastal and there was a Cemetery Heritage Trail. The creation of both the Downtown and Cemetery Heritage Trails were grant funded. Mr. Adams explained the sign was to recognize Captain Janet Hall's contribution to the City's fishing industry. Captain Hall became the first licensed female ocean operator with the U.S. Coast Guard. In the 1950s, she and her second husband, Captain Wendell Hall, started the Seamist Fishing Fleet. They purchased the Boynton Marina in 1956 and expanded it with the purchase of docks. They worked the Marina for nearly 40 years, providing Boynton with a fishing fleet, boat storage, sales and service, tackle and bait shop, a dive shop and fuel. Photographs of Captain Hall's daughter and her family at the ceremony were viewed as were photos of Mr. Adams making a presentation and speaking about the Heritage Trail and the signs. Mr. Adams explained the event generated positive publicity and the Hall family was pleased with the sign. Mr. Adams thought it would be beneficial for more individuals to donate signs, fostering the growth of the Heritage Trail. Ms. Oyer, who was present at the event, commented the event went well and was great fun. 3 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 13, 2015 7. New Business A. Archaeology Program Mr. Adams explained they were trying to push archaeology as there are a number of sites in the City that were never developed. Mr. Adams advised he will visit a site next Sunday as they did not have a chance to finish all the test pits. If they find something, they would contact the County Archaeologist. Students from various colleges participated for free and it was a first dig for one student. Photos of the test pits were viewed. The section with the most potential will be excavated next Sunday. The sites were located by a river and canal, and if they found something, he would like to have a kayaking, walking, or canoeing archaeology trial. There are no plans to develop any of the sites and they would remain as parkland. He invited the members to attend next Sunday. Ms. Ready inquired if the site would be ruined because the canals were dug and learned they were not. All the sites were east of 1 -95 and the specific sites Mr. Adams were studying was undisturbed. He expressed they were excited about the site. B. Division of Historical Resources Small Matching Grant Application for 2016/2017 Mr. Adams explained the 2016/2017 grant period has arrived and the Board applied for funding for the Heritage Trail. Two years ago they applied for the smart phone application. Last year, they did not submit an application because they backed the Woman's Club application for a Special Category Grant, and this year, they would submit for research on Wells Avenue. He explained the information he already had, but clarified this would be an education grant for Certified Local Governments, which did not require a match. Mr. Adams wanted to request the full amount of $50,000. He thought they had a good chance of being funded, and thought it was an ambitious project. He commented the area had a fascinating history and many layers of history. Other City personnel thought the project was doable. C. Celebration of Conrad Pickel Event Mr. Adams advised they are running the Conrad Pickel event this year again. He explained Conrad Pickel was a stained glass artist that lived in Leisureville who had the Gallery Fantasia next to the Woman's Club. He has a number of stained glass windows in the City and he designed the largest stained glass window in the world in a mausoleum in Justice, Illinois. Photographs of his work were viewed and he had proposed to encase the Boynton Beach Water Tower in stained glass; however, the City Commission felt it was too expensive. He designed stained glass for over 700 churches all over the world. He also created mosaics, paintings and sculptures and was a real visionary. Last year, they held a celebration of him. His son has a studio in Vero Beach and they rented two buses to tour his sites in Boynton Beach, which included the Boynton Beach Mausoleum, Ascension Lutheran, St. Mark's and St. Joseph's Churches, and some industrial units. In the afternoon, they held lectures and presentations by both Mr. Pickel and the Historical Society. 4 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board B oynton Beach, Florida April 13, 2015 This year, the historic tour will be held Saturday, May 23, 2015. There will be two bus tours that will be free of charge. Mr. Adams commented the Development Department funded the bus. Mr. Adams explained the stained glass at St. Mark's is difficult to see because the window was encased but the original glass was in there. This year, they are adding an art glass tour for $10 going to Lake Worth to visit McMow Glass and the Benzeiten Center. The historic tour bus will have 60 seats and art glass tour will consist of about 35 people because the businesses can only handle a limited amount of people at one time. The tours leave from the Library 8 a.m. and return at 10:30 a.m. McMow Glass Studios creates stained glass for mostly residential projects and the Benzeiten Center creates blown glass. There will be presentations at the Library and exhibits on the second floor. Registration for the businesses will be handled online at the Library. Last year, they had big demand and they filled two 60 seat buses. The presentations will be about two or three hours. The plan was to go each year and open up the tour to other art mediums. He would like to see a focus on art and architecture and have local companies involved. He commented they had to charge for the Lake Worth bus because the City could not pay if the bus travels outside City limits. He noted each of the two companies charge $10 anyway so the fee was justified. He hoped this event would continue each year. D. Model Block Groundbreaking At the last meeting Mr. Adams announced he worked with the architect and home designer for new homes in the Heart of Boynton and they altered the homes' design. Mr. Adams clarified this project was called the model block because hopefully, the next homes constructed would include the alterations. Photographs of the groundbreaking on March 24 were viewed. The event provided positive publicity, and it showed the Historic Preservation Program impacts education, archaeology, and design. He believed they may have started construction already. E. FAU Site Planning Midterm Presentations One of the City planners teaches at FAU and his students were given a mid -term project. As part of it, some of the City staff were asked to assist students with their projects, some of which included elements of historic preservation. It was good to see how they depicted the history of an area. City staff will also review the final projects. The presentations made at Broward Prep School, to archaeology students, the ground breaking and FAU all served as community outreach. Staff was promoting preservation and it was good to hear the students' ideas. F. Oil Can House Mr. Adams explained this item arose from a demolition of a home on SW Vt. He explained he reviews each demolition application and if the home was in good condition and has some significance, he recommends delaying and /or working with the owners to fix or move the home. The City has a policy that does not force designation. They encourage owners to keep historic buildings. The Master site file indicated this home was a concrete building that dated to the 1940s. He inspected the home from the outside. When they started demolishing the home, they saw the whole front of the home, if not whole building, was 5 1 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 13, 2015 built out of oil cans from the 1940s. Mr. Adams advised he had never seen anything like it, nor had the State. Vice Chair Salomonsson had some of the cans used in the home. He explained 99% of the cans were corroded. Ms. Black noted there were other nearby homes that were demolished and she inquired if they were like that too. Mr. Adams did not know. The building was of a strange design that did not have any architectural style. This home was a regular concrete block home with mission styled parapets and the concrete became malleable. Mr. Adams took photographs he would bring to the next meeting. S. Other Mr. Adams advised they had a Facebook page and he requested the members visit the Boynton Beach Historic Preservation page and give it a like, but the page was not yet updated. The issue with Facebook was it has to be monitored carefully. He thought it would be useful should there be someone interested in moving a home and /or for archaeology and what the Board was doing. The first item they included was a report on Barton Cemetery and they will update it with stories of interest. Mr. Adams received a few calls asking for information about potential designation of historic properties and the designation processes. He advised residents were starting to consider designation and applying for tax credits to have the home protected. 9. Comments by members Ms. Oyer commented she attended the Conrad Pickel event last year and the art was affordable. She purchased three paintings. It was a good chance to obtain artwork at affordable prices. Chair Ready inquired about a logo. Mr. Adams commented this was discussed at the last meeting, but it was left open to what the Board wants. Mr. Shaffer commented he teaches students to design logos and it was noted college students designed the Historical Society's logo. Mr. Adams was amenable to opening up a logo design to students. The logo needs to be recognizable and simple. Mr. Shaffer agreed to ask his students to create one. Vice Chair Salomonsson commented when Mr. Adams made a presentation to his students, he showed pictures of what he did in Scotland and about dendrology. He thought the members would find Mr. Adams' presentation interesting, especially the photographs of castles. There was agreement Mr. Adams would make a presentation at next meeting. Chair Ready announced the next Historical Society meeting was April 20 and Dr. Martha Meeks Light will speak about "Sweet Pineapples" and the significance of Boynton's former pineapple farms. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Library Program Room. The Woman's Club was holding its Annual Pot Luck Dinner on Sunday, May 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Woman's Club. The cost to attend was $10. The Club provides the entrees 6 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 13, 2 and beverages. If an attendee brings a desert, salad or vegetable to serve eight people, there was no charge to attend. She commented this year's award winner was Voncile Smith. 10. Public comments None. 11. Announce date of next meeting _ May 11, 2015 12. Adjournment Motion Ms. Oyer moved to adjourn. Vice Chair Salomonsson seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:43 p.m. 4 &, Ca� Ur Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 041415 7