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Minutes 03-13-17MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2017, AT 6:30 P.M. IN CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS, 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BOULEVARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Barbara Ready, Chair Eric Salomonsson, Vice Chair Susan Oyer Ginger Pedersen Jason Shaffer Cheryl Black Michael Wilson, Alternate Jesse Feldman, Alternate ABSENT: Hollis Tidwell, III 1. Pledge of Allegiance Warren Adams, Historic Resource Preservation Planner Chair Ready called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m Allegiance to the Flag. 2. Agenda Approval Motion Ms. Oyer led the Pledge of Dr. Pedersen moved to approve the agenda. Ms. Oyer seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 3. Approval of Minutes Motion Ms. Oyer moved to approve the November 13, 2016, meeting minutes. Vice Chair Salomonsson seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 4. Election of Chair and Vice Chair Mr. Adams explained the dates of the election got out of synch and this item was to align the elections to the months they should take place. Both the Chair and Vice Chair have served for a year. They can continue to serve, or if desired, others can be nominated.. Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 13, 2017 Motion Ms. Oyer moved to nominate Barbara Ready as Chair. Ms. Black seconded the motion that unanimously passed. Motion Mr. Shaffer moved to nominate Mr. Salomonsson as Vice Chair. Ms. Oyer seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 5. Communications and Announcements Mr. Adams announced Hollis Tidwell advised him he would not be present at the meeting. He commented the members received the City's calendar which turned out very well. He was going to issue an updated board list, but there was some confusion about the dates and he will defer distributing it because some terms would expire. He recommended members reapply if their term is expiring. Ms. Oyer recommended submitting applications as soon as possible this week as there is some lag time. Mr. Adams explained all members are good until the April meeting. While some members reapplied last year, there was a shift between regular and alternate positions for some of the members. Mr. Adams advised he would review the list tomorrow. Mr. Adams explained he made a presentation at Boca Middle School on February 81h, organized by Ms. Oyer and he appreciated the student letter of thanks. He hoped the students enjoyed the visit. Mr. Adams advised Sterling Village, located at 500 S. Federal Highway, just south of Ocean Avenue, contacted him asking if the development would be eligible for historic designation. It is 42 acres on the Intracoastal Waterway. Construction was completed in 1967, and there are 840 units in 29 two-story block buildings with a clubhouse and pool. These were the first condominiums built in Boynton Beach. He researched if similar developments were designated and noted this development is right at the 50 - year mark, but there was nothing spectacular about the architecture and he did not want every other condo complex coming forward. If it has historic significance, an application could potentially be made. Mr. Adams thought the developer may have been prominent. Dr. Pedersen noted the builder constructed other complexes. Dr. Pedersen did not know the builder to be prominent and remarked there is some interesting architecture in the clubhouse building as it is very classic 60's, but the buildings are non-descript. Mr. Adams questioned if the request could be considered significant because it is a grouping of buildings or if it would be handled like a historic district. He was unsure how to get the residents to agree with designation; if it would need a simple majority or if the Board would have the final say. He noted there are 10 to 15 individually platted lots and thought, if the application was moved forward, it would be complicated. There may be problems with insurance with historic sites and the 1 Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 13, 2017 buildings are on the Intracoastal Waterway, but the individual commented they did not care. Mr. Adams also advised the main complex is a living community, and it could create differences of opinions. The person from Sterling Village will speak to the Board and Mr. Adams suggested after that, he meet with them to discuss designation further. He wanted the Board to be aware of the matter, but was unsure how they would make a decision. He had contemplated just designating certain parts of the development such as the clubhouse. Ms. Oyer thought it was a landmark. The buildings have been maintained and the character is unchanged. She liked the fence and thought there was some distinctive mid-century architecture. Dr. Pedersen noted there is a lot of green space and the land was previously muck and tomato lots. Mr. Wilson noted Janet DeVries blogged about this property, which was the second condo built in the area. If the complex wanted to seek designation, since many condo complexes are all well maintained, the determining factor would be what significance it has. Chair Ready wondered if anyone significant lived there. Ms. Oyer noted if the Civic and Madsen Centers are being demolished for redevelopment they were losing mid-century buildings and this complex was one of the few mid-century buildings that are untouched. Vice Chair Salomonsson asked if Sterling Village was trying to make inroads to historically protect them. Mr. Adams thought all owners would have to agree to designation. It is a large piece of prime property, and a developer could come along and offer alot of money for the land, which Mr. Adams discussed with the representative, but the person did not care. Mr. Adams commented he would point out the pros and cons. Since the buildings are not Missionary, Revival or Venacular, Mid - Century buildings are not viewed as significant, but they do want to preserve the best examples they have. Mr. Adams will keep the Board apprised and hoped the application would not cause friction. Ms. Oyer noted it is retirement housing and Ms. Black thought they may want to protect their lifestyle. 6. Old Business: A. Boynton Woman's Club window and door repair update Mr. Adams walked the site on March 9th with the contractor and the architect and builder and the work is substantially complete. There are just a few items to be tweaked. The second floor public access area windows and doors are being repaired or replaced where required. Those on the stairwells have been addressed and the opening mechanisms were retained where possible. They did not finish all work but they are still there. They need to stop water getting into the threshold and doors and started protective measures that are not visible from the street level. The project finished ahead of schedule and he was pleased. The project was a $21 OK project, $140K was a grant from the Division of Historical Resources, $50K came from the CRA, $1 OK was in - M Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 13, 2017 kind services from Mr. Adams and $10K came from the Woman's Club. B. Certified Local Government Grant: Black History Interactive Website update Mr. Adams explained he was working hard on the project. ITS started mapping the website and GIS started to block out the lots. He was still conducting research on residents and the buildings in the area. They had discussed having a 3-D website. One plan is to have significant buildings appear on the map in 3-D. He spoke to the mapper who thought they could walk along the street and see what was there. He thought the Cemetery could be walked through as well and the mapper thought it may be possible. Mr. Adams decided to render the headstones in 3-D and walked the cemetery with a student and took measurements and photos of all the stones. When complete, viewers could walk through the cemetery, click on the headstones and get information. Mr. Adams submitted a second progress report to the Division of Historical Resources. He included some master site file forms and asked how to request a time extension. The project was to end in June, but the City lost about four months starting the project as they were waiting for the award agreement and contract from the State. The longest extension that could be requested was a month. He hoped if the extension is granted, the project would be finished by the end of July. C. Magnuson House, 211 E. Ocean Ave. proposed redevelopment update Mr. Adams commented several months ago, the Board had reviewed proposed alterations to the above and there would be a rear addition and a canopy added to one side of the home. The main plan for the house was to completely remove the interior, the interior stairs and put the stairs on the exterior. They received the plans from the Building Department, which were different from what the Board reviewed. Mr. Adams distributed the new plan which showed the entire interior is retained, and the building no longer needs the exterior stairs. The owner has to submit a site plan modification. Mr. Adams advised the changes are supported by Historic Preservation staff. He explained it was rare this occurs and was great news. Dr. Pedersen asked about the Little House and learned an addition was added. This was reviewed months ago. Ms. Oyer commented Planning and Zoning was requiring the State to sign off, and the State responded they did not need to sign off. The Board did not review the plans because it is not a historic site, but it was appropriate they still take an interest in the building. 7. New Business: A. Cultural Resource Assessment Survey for the Boynton Beach 1-95 Intersections Project n Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 13, 2017 Mr. Adams was contacted several months ago by a company called Search who was conducting a survey of cultural resources in close proximity to the upcoming work at the 1-95 intersections at Boynton Beach Boulevard and Gateway. Anytime there is federal funding involved in a project, they have to ensure cultural resources are protected. They sent Mr. Adams a map with the areas outlined in red which Mr. Adams numbered with sites that are protected. Numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 were undeveloped scrub with the potential for archeology. Number 5 was Barton Cemetery and 6 was an undeveloped scrub area by Galaxy Elementary School. Number 7 were the street lights that were designated. Number 8 was a mission -style house; 9 was a large Mediterranean revival house; 10 was a small mission house on NW 6th Street; 11 was the designated gatepost; 12 was the collection of mission and Mediterranean revival homes on NW 1St Avenue, and 13 and 14 were the two schools. Search sent it to the State and the State contacted Mr. Adams last week. The report suggested the property at 206 NW 61h Street may be National Register eligible. Dr. Pedersen knew the owner of the property and commented at one time, it was used as a boarding house. A developer for the neighborhood lived at the home. The home has significance. Mr. Adams' concern was its setting next to Boynton Beach Boulevard and the railroad tracks behind it. He commented the State will review it. While Mr. Adams was discussing it, Mr. Adams asked the State if there was anything else that was significant and he told them about the gateposts. There were very few historic houses in the neighborhood because only a few were built and some have been demolished. There was a large Mediterranean Revival and another home. Very little of the information was included in the report sent to the State. Mr. Adams was glad the person from the State called him. He sent her the map and designation report and did not know what the next step was. He thought they may have a National Register eligible property and it would be nice to have that option. There is no cost to the owner and there is no review process. Mr. Adams wanted the house to be on the Local Register which could easily be done. Dr. Pedersen will ask the owner if they would be interested in National Register designation. She explained the inside is beautiful and all original, but it has replacement windows, which could be an issue; however, the State indicated there have been properties in the National Register that had the setting affected. Dr. Pedersen thought the Weaver House may be eligible for Local Register. B. North Broward Preparatory School Career Day Mr. Adams advised he would make a presentation for the third year in a row at North Broward Preparatory School on March 31St, organized by Vice Chair Salomonsson and Mr. Shaffer. Each year, there is more and more interest. Last year, one student from North Broward Prep worked with Mr. Adams for a few days. Chair Ready asked about the status of obtaining photographs for the Boynton Colored Town website and learned Mr. Adams had spoken with some people and was still lacking photographs, but was receiving information. Chair Ready spoke with Rev. 5 Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 13, 2017 Dames of the Coalition of Clergy as did Mr. Adams. Chair Ready asked if having a coffee and cake social would help. Mr. Adams explained the best they can do is get a photograph of their house. He noted having a presence seemed to help, but the problem is the people just do not have photos. Dr. Pedersen noted cameras and photography were expensive at the time. Most people did not take a photograph of their house. Mr. Adams had photos of four or five homes on 10th Avenue and they identified one because he knew the owners name. He commented the website will not be. short of information if they include the churches and schools. He noted without photographs, the website would be less interesting as viewers want something to look at. 8. Other Ms. Oyer asked about the status of the Conrad Pickel exhibit this year and learned Mr. Adams was trying to find time to organize it. They had discussed including the church on Georgia Avenue in West Palm Beach, another further west to Military Trail to the Seminary and places there, and trying to get access to Gallery Fantasia. He thought if they travelled to West Palm, they could stop at one of the glass studios in Lake Worth. The problem is they may not be able to use City buses because they would be going outside of the City. Another discussion was charging $10 per person. He did not know if attendees would pay the fee to go to West Palm, then a Lake Worth glass studio, Gallery Fantasia ending up at the Woman's Club for sandwiches for a light lunch and presentation by Paul Pickel. Dr. Pedersen thought it could be promoted and would sell out. She commented the window on Georgia Avenue is spectacular and is the most valuable piece of artwork in Palm Beach County. The issue is hiring private buses would have a cost. Mr. Adams questioned if older attendees or students would be willing to pay $10, but thought they would not want to pay the fee to see the same tour as last year. They would have to book a bus and hope they sold enough seats to pay for it. He spoke to Friederike Miftner, Historic Preservation Planner in West Palm Beach, and she thought they could use West Palm City buses. He commented it would be easier to offer the same tour, but after doing the same thing three times, they need to do something different and attendees would have to pay. Ms. Oyer commented Bernard Thomas lived in the City with his wife Betty. Mr. Thomas is one of the top muralists in the U.S. His mural is in the Woman's Club and he was a great Floridian. His family has a lot of his paintings and she thought they -could make a presentation of both at the Woman's Club as they are two of Florida's most famous artists. She noted the Historical Society is working to restore the paintings at Forest Park and thought there would be paintings at Galaxy as Ms. Thomas was the principal before the school was named Galaxy. Mr. Adams noted he was behind on a grant project and thought the tour needed to be changed, as it is growing each year, but he is not an event organizer. Dr. Pedersen noted online registration could be handled through Event Bright, which is online registration, but Mr. Adams commented people still called him regarding the tour even when it was free, and it was faster for him to log them online himself. Mr. Adams agreed they needed to do something different. 9 Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 13, 2017 Mr. Shaffer commented a 50 -seat coach bus is $3,200 and discussion followed how much people would be willing to pay. Chair Ready thought if adding lunch, the price should be more and Mr. Adams would have to take payments up front to guarantee they show up. Mr. Adams noted if they do not sell all the seats, they are stuck with the buses. He hoped for one free bus and to make the tour longer by adding Georgia Avenue, a glass studio, a few Boynton sites, hopefully ending up at Galaxy Fantasia and then to the Woman's Club for lunch. If the Woman's Club was not free, they would use the Library. The first year, they had two buses that were paid for and it was noted the Historical Society did not pay a lot towards the price of the buses. Dr. Pedersen noted sometimes when an event is free or cheap, people are less willing to do something because they think it would not be good. She advised attendance is better if there is a charge and thought the hook for this tour is the window on Georgia Avenue as it is the best kept secret in Palm Beach County. Mr. Adams asked if Dr Pedersen and/or Janet DeVries would speak if they went to Georgia Avenue and learned they would. Discussion follows about imposing a student rate of $7.50 and an adult rate of $15 and about using Mollies Trolley. They were fairly reasonable and a local company that may give a discounted rate or some type of sponsorship. Ms. Oyer suggested notifying area historical societies and historic preservation board's to spread the word. She also commented the newly elected City Commissioners have not been on the Conrad Pickel tour. May is Historic Preservation Month, and they were planning on holding the tour on May 20th. It was thought the Historical Society could help offset the cost. Ms. Oyer asked if the City has a setup for a credit card. Mr. Adams explained it would be handled through Eventbright and they would just take the Commission. He also commented there may be someone else in the. City with more experience to help. Dr. Pederson obtained a $750 quote for a three-hour tour bus for 50. Mr. Wilson inquired if Eleanor Krusell could assist and learned she may be able to help with advertising 9. Comments by members Dr. Pedersen announced Byrd Spilman Dewey is a top ten finalist for the Florida Woman's Hall of Fame. This was the second time she was nominated. There was a good letter writing campaign with some high profile people writing on her behalf. Mr. Adams had written a letter of support and the decision would be made this month. A letter of nomination could be sent to Governor Scott from the Board. Motion Ms. Oyer moved the Board support the nomination of Ms. Dewey. Chair Ready will work on the letter with Mr. Adams. Vice Chair Salomonsson seconded the motion that 7 Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 13, 2017 unanimously passed. Chair Ready noted the Historical Society has a show on the 20th at the Library. The Mayor is coming to speak about development in Boynton Beach. An author, Steve Bralick, a Palm Beach State college professor, will be speaking Vice Chair Salomonsson stated the City's calendar was the best and most unique calendar he ever received. All the information was included and the childhood pictures were awesome. He praised the calendar and gave kudos to Eleanor Krusell, City Communications Manager. Ms. Oyer noted one of her students was equally excited about the calendar as well. 10. Public comments 11. Announce date of next meeting — April 10, 2017 12. Adjournment There being no further business, Chair Ready adjourned the meeting at 7:34 p.m. Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist